Falcons Draft Texas RB Bijan Robinson? Why Atlanta Should Do It
The Atlanta Falcons are a month removed from the conclusion of their fifth straight season without a playoff appearance and have a roster that needs upgrades.
Fortunately for general manager Terry Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith, the Falcons have the second-most cap space in the NFL with $56 million, the most players aged 26 years old or younger league-wide and the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
As such, there are plenty of reasons to believe Atlanta can improve next season ... and could Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson be one of them?
Here's part one of a two-part series on why the Falcons should - and shouldn't - draft Robinson, starting with the former ...
Why Robinson Makes Sense for Falcons
First and foremost, Robinson is a special talent.
The 6-0, 222-pounder was a unanimous first-team All-American and won the Doak Walker Award given annually to the best running back in college football after he accumulated 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground while adding 314 yards and two scores through the air.
Robinson is adept at catching the ball regardless of alignment, be it out of the backfield or splitting out wide. As a runner, he's well-regarded for his contact balance, athleticism and ability to create his own yards because he's simply so hard to bring down.
The term "generational" is thrown around too loosely and doesn't apply here, but it's fair to say Robinson is not only the best running back in this draft but also the best since New York Giants ballcarrier Saquon Barley came out of Penn State in 2018.
By all accounts, Robinson is a stellar football player, having been ranked as a top-five prospect in the draft by some experts ... but why would the Falcons draft him after Tyler Allgeier broke the franchise rookie rushing record with 1,035 yards this past season?
The answer is relatively simple - just look at Smith's offense.
The Falcons ran the ball 559 times this season, more than any other team in the NFL. Smith values physicality and the ground-and-pound approach, predicated on wearing teams down and finishing strong.
In essence, having talent at running back is important - and Robinson would arguably be one of the five most-talented players at the position from the moment he's drafted.
Of course, the Falcons finished third in rushing this past season at just under 160 yards per game with the rookie fifth-round pick Allgeier leading a room that featured second-year pro and former undrafted free agent Caleb Huntley and an injury-riddled 31-year-old Cordarrelle Patterson.
As such, Smith has shown that his offense can thrive with a complimentary cast of characters and both he and Fontenot are quite excited about Allgeier's future ... but it's also easy to be salivated by the prospect of adding Robinson to the backfield.
Consider further that by drafting Robinson, the Falcons would have a dynamic one-two punch with he and Allgeier plus the versatile playmaker Patterson, only making life easier for whoever plays quarterback - especially if it's Desmond Ridder, who's set to enter the season with just four professional starts under his belt.
Schematically, Robinson's feel and ability in space makes him a natural fit in Smith's wide-zone offense, and his prowess getting vertical and winning in between the tackles only adds to that.
The biggest hurdle to clear is the fact that Atlanta has objectively bigger needs than running back, including but not limited to defensive end, cornerback and receiver.
But the Falcons also have a lot of money to spend in free agency and 10 total draft picks; adding Robinson seemingly takes away the opportunity to address one of those, but only after that opportunity will have arisen during the free agency period.
And think - if the Falcons commit to Ridder (as owner Arthur Blank would seemingly like), what would make his life easier?
Adding a No. 2 receiver to complement standout Drake London plus tight end Kyle Pitts? Continuing to build an offensive line that took a noticeable step forward this season?
Perhaps. Both options would certainly help.
But in Smith's offense, the most run-heavy in the league, adding a premiere talent at running back who can also contribute as a security blanked out of the backfield and run routes and make contested catches is a valued commodity ... especially for a young quarterback.
There's also the point that Atlanta's interest in Robinson isn't really hearsay.
In October, a source confirmed to Falcon Report that Atlanta's director of college scouting Anthony Robinson and vice president of player personnel Kyle Smith were in attendance for the Longhorns' game vs. the Iowa State Cyclones.
Team executives often only take in a handful of games each year, and Robinson was the unabridged top prospect in this particular contest. There's little reason to send not one but two executives to scout a game if there's no interest in the players on the field - so how about the top player on said field?
So, really, there's several factors working in Robinson's favor as it relates to winding up in Atlanta, such as fit, talent, taking pressure off the quarterback and documented interest.
And for that, Robinson makes a lot of sense - but there's still plenty to figure out until the Falcons are on the clock this April.
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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