'I Love the Staff!' Falcons Interview Texas RB Bijan Robinson at Combine
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INDIANAPOLIS - The Atlanta Falcons roster the NFL's second-leading rookie rusher in Tyler Allgeier ... but that hasn't dissuaded them from doing their work on the top running backs in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Texas star Bijan Robinson, the winner of the Doak Walker Award given annually to the top running back in college football, said that he had a formal meeting with the Falcons at the NFL Scouting Combine ... and it seems to have been an enjoyable experience.
"It went great, it went great," Robinson said. "I love the whole staff - just great people, first off, and I can tell what they're trying to do with the program. I think we'll see going down the line where it goes, where it ends up, how it goes."
The 6-0, 220-pound Robinson was jovial, gave well-thought-out answers and seemed to like the idea of playing in Atlanta.
Robinson, 21, is coming off a stellar junior season for the Longhorns, earning unanimous All-American honors after running for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns while averaging over six yards per carry. He was also a threat in the passing game, hauling in 19 passes for 314 yards and two scores.
But still - isn't No. 8 overall, where the Falcons currently rank in the draft order, too high? NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah doesn't believe so.
"(Taking Robinson in the top-10) would not get laughs around the league because everybody knows how good (he) is," Jeremiah said. "He is a special, special player. One of the best backs we've seen in the last several years."
Will the Falcons draft Robinson?
That part remains to be seen - but there are two things that have been confirmed: one, there's enough interest to give him a formal interview, which teams only get 40 of, and two, nobody inside the NFL would bat an eye if Atlanta used a top-10 pick on his talents.
There's also the element that Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said that teams need "multiple" running backs - and pairing Robinson with Allgeier would give Atlanta an outstanding young duo for years to come.
And for that, as Robinson said, "we'll see going down the line where it goes, where it ends up, how it goes."
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