Falcons Draft Profile Bijan Robinson: strengths, weaknesses, highlights, prediction
Strengths and weaknesses
Strengths:
Bijan is a running back if I have ever seen one. Now, what do I mean by that? He was perfectly created for the position, he glides, he runs through you, he makes you look like you're tackling air, he is an incredible receiver, he stops and starts on a dime, he has everything you want from a runner.
Robinson looks like he is a professional ice skater surrounded by people who forgot their skates at the ice rink. He glides around and makes others look foolish with his nasty deacceleration and acceleration. His moves are so good that it makes you question if the defender was even able to touch him—often it looks as though he is just toying with the defenders. His reaction time is also A+.
Then you watch him as a receiver and you wonder what he can't do. I saw deadly routes, excellent separation, and confidence catching the ball. Want to throw a deep pass to the 5'11" running back? Go ahead, he can track the ball over his shoulder like he is a veteran receiver. I just marvel at his receiving ability more than anything. Bijan just looks so smooth and natural.
Bijan, in my opinion, is a combination of Alvin Kamara and Le'Veon Bell. He has the smoothness of Kamara, the patience behind the line of scrimmage of Bell, and the receiving ability of both of them. If you remember Bell, then you remember seeing patience in finding the hole—Bijan does just that.
Weaknesses:
There are some weaknesses (or more accurately, some concerns) about Bijan Robinson, although I feel like I am nitpicking.
The first is his negative plays. Now, some of this could be due to the fact that Texas' offensive line wasn't great but his patience behind the line has its perks and downfalls. He just takes too long to hit the gas pedal sometimes, and with NFL players being faster, it might be something you have to live with.
Then he gets whipped down around his ankles and feet too easily. There are times when no one can bring him down and other times when he goes down on tackles you would expect him to break. It is as if he has a switch of being either elusive or powerful. I would like to see him blend his agility and strength into one so that he can use whichever is suitable from yard to yard.
Summary:
Bijan Robinson is a phenomenal prospect and one of the best running back prospects we have ever seen. He should have immediate success in the NFL but you also have to wonder whether his position is worth taking in the top handful of picks.