Could Falcons have the 2023 Offensive Player of the Year on their roster?
Coming out of the University of Texas, running back Bijan Robinson was one of the most highly touted prospects to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. There was no reason to doubt all of the hype surrounding the Longhorns star, who generated 1,580 rushing yards on 539 carries with 33 touchdowns along with 60 catches for […]
Coming out of the University of Texas, running back Bijan Robinson was one of the most highly touted prospects to enter the 2023 NFL Draft.
There was no reason to doubt all of the hype surrounding the Longhorns star, who generated 1,580 rushing yards on 539 carries with 33 touchdowns along with 60 catches for 805 yards and eight more scores in three seasons.
And the Atlanta Falcons went on to draft him at No. 8 overall.
Now at the pro level, the hype around Robinson has only heightened.
According to FS1's Nick Wright of "First Things First", Robinson has enough talent to not only help lead the Falcons to a playoff birth but also win 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year.
"Bijan Robinson is going to follow in the footsteps of Edgerrin James whose rookie year had 1,500 rushing and 500 receiving or Clinton Portis, who had 1,500 rushing and 400 receiving. Marshall Faulk, who had 1,200-500. Saquon [Barkley], just a few years ago, who had 1,300-700.
"He is going to be the engine that drives the Atlanta Falcons to the playoffs. He is going to be far and away. the best running back in football. I believe he is going to have–to be clear–2,000 yards from scrimmage, not 2,000 yards rushing, but 2,000 yards rushing and receiving. And I think that will be enough to win offensive player of the year."
Wright does take into account that the Falcons are more of a run-heavy offense, which is exactly why things didn't quite work out for tight end Kyle Pitts.
And the Falcons will continue to rely on their ground game in 2023 as questions still loom around first-year starting quarterback Desmond Ridder. Not to mention that head coach Arthur Smith loves to run the "p*ss out of the ball."
Fans caught of glimpse of Robinson at the NFL level and he did not disappoint, rushing for 12 yards on his first carry and then showing off his pass-catcher abilities with a one-handed grab later on.
Between Robinson's college resume and an impressive preseason debut, there's reason to believe that he has what it takes for a breakout season at the next level in Year 1.
But what does Robinson think of all of these high expectations that he's "expected" to live up to?
Robinson has been praised by both Smith and general manager Terry Fontenot for his "rare" maturity throughout the draft process and training camp.
He also showed it off by sharing how he handles all these high expectations that he's supposed to live up to as a rookie.
"I tune it all out," Robinson said. "People tell me all the time that 'There are so many expectations on you, there so many things on your shoulders,' but for me, I know that God always has a plan for me and I know that if that's what he wants for me, it's going to happen."
Robinson, who started off as the Falcons' third-string running back, was bumped up to the No. 1 spot on the depth chart ahead of Week 1's game against the Carolina Panthers this Sunday where we will see if he can live up to the hype.
Falcons list Cordarrelle Patterson as ‘Joker’ on depth chart
The Atlanta Falcons’ Week 1 depth chart is here.
Featured image by Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
