Falcons Bijan Robinson Names Legendary RB He Drew Inspiration From

The Atlanta Falcons watched film of a former NFL MVP and Oklahoma star running back ahead of the Monday Night Football matchup

The legendary running back provided valuable inspiration for the Falcons' star | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Bijan Robinson is coming off another monster night in the Atlanta Falcons’ primetime statement win over the Buffalo Bills. He rushed for 170 yards and a touchdown while also tallying 68 receiving yards. 

Ahead of the game, he checked out film of other stars to take notes ahead of the matchup. Despite being a Longhorn, he’s looked to a Sooner for inspiration. He wanted to see what other star running backs did with their game. 

“I watched Adrian Peterson's college highlights, Oklahoma freshman year highlights,” he said. “I don't know why it's Oklahoma, but shout out to Texas. We got the dub against them. I watched his college highlights, and I just pick a guy, whether it's college or NFL, and I see what kind of moves he’s got and how he attacks downhill, and that's the kind of game that I had to do today.”

Regardless of alma mater, few highlights are better to observe than Peterson’s freshman campaign. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy race behind USC’s Matt Leinart after rushing for nearly 2,000 yards and 15 touchdowns. 

Oklahoma made it all the way to the BCS National Championship that year, losing to Leinart and USC. These efforts put Peterson on the path to being a top-10 pick in the draft and on the path to being the NFL star that he was. 

He won the 2012 MVP while leading the Minnesota Vikings and was a four-time First Team All-Pro and three-time Second Team All-Pro. He is also one of nine players (seventh all-time) to rush for 2,000 yards in a season. 

Keep in mind, Robinson likely grew up watching the star running back, making him an easy player to check out, regardless of whether he went to Texas. 

The players whom he models himself after have served him well. He’s coming off a season he rushed for 1,456 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He earned his first All-Pro honor at season’s end. 

Currently, he’s on pace to have another career year. At his pace, he’ll finish with 1,645 yards. He’s also become a bigger threat in the passing game with 338 receiving yards through five games. For reference, he had 431 in 17 games last year. His 822 yards from scrimmage lead the NFL. 

Perhaps it’s a wise thing to take a peek at your rivals' top traits, even if you had their number.