Eagles and Bijan Robinson? 'Holy Moly'
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Daniel Jeremiah understands the Eagles' history under Howie Roseman but the NFL's lead draft analyst likes the fit of talented Texas running back Bijan Robinson and Philadelphia.
A former Eagles' scout, Jeremiah has Robinson graded as the No. 4 player in the entire 2023 draft in his current snapshot in advance of next week's NFL Scouting Combine, behind only Georgia DT Jalen Carter, Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson, and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.
Jeremiah is also keenly aware of the league's sentiments when it comes to RBs and the valuation of the position as a whole.
To that end, Jeremiah has Robinson going to Tampa Bay at No. 19 overall in his latest mock draft.
When asked by SI Eagles Today what Robinson's floor is in the draft, Jeremiah admitted he can't get a feel for it but did note most around the league realize how talented Robinson is.
“If he were to go top-10 he would not get laughs around the league,” Jeremiah said. “People know how good he is. I just don’t know where to put him."
His own belief system screams Eagles' however, the reigning NFC champions who are likely to lose Miles Sanders in free agency.
"I don’t mind taking running back in the first round, as long as a team is ready to win right now," Jeremiah said. "I don’t want to waste carries on a crappy team.”
Typically the Eagles don't even consider running backs in the first round, a prudent philosophy in the modern game. It's always about the player, however.
In 2017, for instance, had Christian McCaffrey fallen to No. 14 the Eagles were prepared to take him, according to a team source.
Jeremiah noted McCaffrey and the trade San Francisco made to get him this season and how much it helped the 49ers.
Robinson has three-down traits much like McCaffrey, according to Jeremiah.
His scouting report on Robinson reads:
Robinson is a three-down back with excellent size, vision and burst. On inside runs, he is aggressive to press the hole before lowering his pads and exploding through contact. He has the lateral quickness to make defenders miss in tight quarters.
On outside runs, he has the speed to capture the corner and is very loose and elusive out in space. In the passing game, he is a fluid route runner out of the backfield, boasting excellent hands.
He can contort and adjust to poorly thrown balls. He does need to improve his recognition and technique in pass pro, though; he is late to step up and his anchor gets challenged too often. Overall, Robinson has all of the tools to quickly emerge as a top-tier RB in the NFL.
It's unlikely that the Eagles are the team taking Robinson at 10 and it's tough to imagine someone not taking the dive before Philadelphia's second first-round pick at No. 30 even if it's to keep him away from the Eagles.
Had Philadelphia gotten McCaffrey a trope would have died on the vine replaced by a more accurate assessment of the organization's belief system: the Eagles only consider very special RBs in the first round.
And Jeremiah couldn't help visualizing the fit of Robinson with the Eagles and a potential trend-busing pick from Roseman
“I know Howie doesn’t take running backs," Jeremiah said. " … But if you look at that offense, with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert and then you drop Bijan Robinson into that mix.
"Holy moly.”
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
