Falcons' Bijan Robinson Explains 'Biggest Difference' With College & NFL
Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson is already proving he's a star in the NFL. The former Texas Longhorn is only two games into his professional career, but might be showing the league that he's ready to take things to a level that he never reached in college - if that's even possible.
Considering Robinson was the No. 8 overall pick despite playing running back should speak volumes about what Atlanta sees in him. And so far, the Falcons are slowly but surely using him like a superstar should be.
While the Longhorns certainly got tons out of Robinson over three years, it's possible they didn't use him to his full versatile potential as a receiver. He spoke recently about the differences he's seen between college and the pros.
"I think the biggest difference was just playing a lot of different positions and just getting myself into supreme shape," Robinson said. "In college, it was just running back; I would play receiver here and there. But now, doing a lot of different things to create for other players and for Desmond to find the open look, that's probably the only change that I have from college to the NFL."
Atlanta Falcons rookie running back Bijan Robinson runs the ball against the Green Bay Packers.
© Brett Davis, USA TODAY
Even though Robinson only caught passes "here and there" at Texas under former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, the ball still found a way to gravitate toward him on plays that weren't designed runs. The 2022 Doak Walker Award winner finished his college career with 60 catches for 805 yards and eight touchdowns with an average yards per catch of 13.4. These are impressive numbers for a guy that's best known for his unique combination of power, burst and agility.
Meanwhile, the Falcons are getting Robinson some catches through designed motions out of the backfield, simple wheel routes, in the slot and even as an outside receiver, something that was noticeable during a third-down conversion late in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 25-24 win over the Green Bay Packers.
He's already got 10 catches on 11 targets for 75 yards and a touchdown through two games as a pro. If his unique usage with Atlanta keeps up, Robinson will likely get somewhere close to the receiving numbers he had at Texas after just one season in the NFL.
Regardless of what happens, there's no question that the rookie is bringing a new level of excitement to the Falcons every time he touches the field. Atlanta is back in action on Sunday against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field.
