'Really Special': Bijan Robinson Leads Falcons Young Offensive Core
No matter how hard he tried, Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot couldn't hide his smile.
The question at hand was surrounding the young core of offensive weapons Fontenot, coach Arthur Smith and the rest of the staff have put together, capped off with the selection of Texas running back Bijan Robinson in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Robinson, a unanimous All-American and winner of the Doak Walker award given annually to the best running back in college football, joins a star-studded quartet of players all 23 years old or younger.
There's 21-year-old receiver Drake London, who set the Falcons rookie record for receptions with 72 and reached a new level once quarterback Desmond Ridder took over for the final four games of 2022.
London broke the receptions record that was set the year before by 22-year-old tight end Kyle Pitts, one of five rookie Pro Bowlers in 2021 who's now looking for a bounce back third season after a knee injury cut last year short.
The Falcons made Pitts the highest-drafted tight end in league history in 2021 before making London the first receiver off the board in 2022. On Thursday night, Robinson, 21, became the first running back drafted in the top-10 since the New York Giants took Saquon Barkley at No. 2 overall in 2018.
This trio alone signals investment - and that's without mentioning 23-year-old Tyler Allgeier, who broke Atlanta's rookie rushing record last year with 1,035 yards and will pair with Robinson to give the Falcons a phenomenal one-two punch for years to come.
Each player - Robinson (four years plus option), London (three plus option), Pitts (two plus option) and Allgeier (three) - is under team control for the foreseeable future, opening up the window to grow together around the 23-year-old Ridder, drafted in the third-round last April.
This vision of young, dynamic playmakers is apparent - and Robinson said in his introductory press conference Friday that he took note ... and believes great things are in store on both sides of the ball.
"Really this offseason, I was paying attention," Robinson said. "Team's nice. Got a lot of great defensive players - that's something really special that's being built here, and I can already see it."
The Falcons transformed their defense during free agency, signing Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III, a pair of New Orleans Saints in defensive tackle David Onyemata and linebacker Kaden Elliss, Baltimore Ravens defensive end Calais Campbell and pursuing upside in Tennessee Titans pass rusher Bud Dupree and Detroit Lions corner Mike Hughes.
Atlanta also acquired corner Jeff Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in 2020, from the Lions, bringing another player with plenty of upside to a defense that improved dramatically down the stretch last season.
"Jeff Okudah, that's my guy, that's the guy right there," Robinson said.
Okudah is one of several Falcons that Robinson is familiar with. He shares the same marketing person as Pitts, and the two are "close," seeing each other "every summer." London is another, and he noted the offensive line is "amazing."
There's also Allgeier, who some may view as a "stock down" player as a result of Robinson's addition. However, Smith believes the two have different skill sets, and both players have been touted for their selflessness.
Take, for instance, Robinson impromptu praising Allgeier in the midst of his presser, setting the stage for a strong relationship on and off the field.
"Tyler, that boy's a dog at running back," Robinson said. "I can't wait to talk to him and learn from him and build a relationship with him just because that dude's a beast, I really enjoyed watching him run the ball last year and hopefully I can be a great teammate and learn as much as I can from him."
And really, perhaps nothing embodies the culture Fontenot and Smith are trying to build more than that - a stellar player who's also regarded as an outstanding individual heaping praise on a new teammate, even though they'll be competing with one another for touches.
There's a greater vision, not just from the front office but the players being brought in - for Smith, it's one with a "reference point" to coach Jimmy Johnson's Dallas Cowboys teams, which won the Super Bowl in 1992 and 1993.
"That's certainly what you're hoping for," Smith said. "They did it a little bit different, but just a good young core. It certainly helps when there's consistency."
And with this quartet of young offensive weapons locked up for years to come, there's plenty of consistency in place - each holding the same shared vision.
Now, it's up to Smith and Fontenot to maximize this talent and keep adding to it ... but the baseline that's been set is already "really special."
You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft
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