Falcons Can Fix Jonathan Taylor Problem - with Bijan Robinson
The NFL's running back market is in flux at the moment.
Many running backs want that lucrative second contract, but teams are unwilling to pay top dollar when they can go and get someone cheaper with more reasonable value in the draft.
“You go back to how some people operate and the way they have fixed charts, which kind of makes sports go round. There is no rule that says, ‘You don’t have your own internal value on people and the impact they have on a game,’” Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith said.
The Falcons are operating on that front as well, taking running back Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick, slating them to have a rookie contract at the position for at least the next four seasons.
Although Smith might want to keep his hands clean by not calling out specific franchise’s ill-advised decisions not to draft using the ‘Best Player Available’ approach, I have no problem revisiting the 2018 NFL Draft to help him defend the Falcons’ decision to take a running back rather than reach for a player that isn’t worth the investment.
Since being drafted, Barkley has outperformed No. 3 overall pick Sam Darnold. He has made two Pro Bowls with the Giants. Meanwhile, Darnold is fighting for playing time with the San Francisco 49ers, the third team of his career.
If you’re reading this and thinking that Darnold is the biggest bust of that draft class, let me remind you that his career still has hope for redemption which is something that can’t be said about 2018’s No. 10 pick, Josh Rosen, who played quarterback on three teams in his first three seasons and hasn’t played in the NFL since 2021.
Atlanta’s internal value drove it to go against the grain and select Robinson rather than reach for a player like Will Levis, who many believed would be a first-round pick but fell to pick No. 33.
Should Robinson live up to his potential, it will be interesting to see if Smith and Atlanta’s front office continue to treat their running back with more respect than the average NFL team does.
Despite Saquon becoming so successful that he’s earned first-name celebrity status like he’s Drake, his career earnings are still roughly $11 million less than Darnold, the less successful No. 3 pick.
Pro Bowl running backs like Saquon and the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor continue to be devalued, requesting trades and threatening holdouts. At the same time, ownership refuses to pay them fairly.
In a few years, Smith’s Falcons can change that by investing quarterback money in their running back, assuming Robinson earns it by becoming a star and going by Bijan.
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