Is Bijan Robinson a Rare Talent in the 2023 NFL Draft?

First Round Mock NFL Draft Analyst Ken Becks isn’t sold on what Texas running back Bijan Robinson has put on game film and walked away giving him a lower grade than 90% of the NFL Draft Community.

#5 Bijan Robinson

POSITION: Running Back (RB)
SCHOOL: Texas
HEIGHT: 6-0
WEIGHT: 220

Evaluated Games (click to view games watched to form this evaluation):

Iowa State ’21

Alabama ’22

Oklahoma ’22

Kansas State ’22

Strengths

Robinson possesses a good sturdy frame that is ideal for projecting to the next level. He has the toughness, characteristics and the mindset to tote the rock 20+ carries moving forward at the NFL level.

The things that popped on game film was his above-average vision to find his way to the hole with good short-area explosion.

Robinson is a one-step-and-go runner (once he finds daylight), who displays the ability to quickly change direction with his light feet. This allows him to find multiple holes of daylight on any given touch of the ball.

His above-average balance makes this Texas running back tough to knock off his feet. It makes it more challenging for defenders to bring him down on initial contact.

Robinson additionally shows a good stiff arm when defenders are closing in to keep them at a distance, and this allows him often to gain more yardage.

After contact, he tends to push the pile effectively (though for short gains).

Robinson should become an adequate short-area/goal-line runner in the NFL.

His hands are another big plus and this makes him a threat out of the backfield. He has a good natural feel for the passing game when passes are thrown to him out in the flat (screens, dump-offs) or at the intermediate route level downfield.

Exhibiting EXCEPTIONAL hands adds to his value.

The ability to catch passes thrown outside of a normal catch radius for backs coupled with his soft hands makes him a LEGITIMATE two-dimensional threat against defenses!

Robinson’s size and running style reminds me of another former Longhorns’ alum running back, Cedric Benson (and a more effective and natural receiver than Benson).

Weaknesses

The big weakness in Robinson’s game is he lacks breakaway speed in the open field.

This considerably drops his potential for 20+ yard explosive plays. He always looks one step short of making the big play.

There’s the tendency also for him to take too many unnecessary false steps, which drops the likelihood of him finding the all-important hidden yardage as a runner.

Robinson additionally looks to bounce it outside too often, when really he needed to turn it upfield. Due to his lack of home-run speed, his effectiveness drops CONSIDERABLY the further he heads out to the edges of the defense.

Another HUGE RED FLAG is the inability to quickly gear back up to speed after making parallel cuts, which also diminishes his potential for larger gains…and his draft value.

2023 NFL Draft Prospect Value

Second-Round (Early)

Scouting Report Summary

Though Robinson lacks the ideal dynamic athleticism and speed teams look for, I envision him as a solid starter on a good playoff caliber team. He has what it takes to be a consistent contributor in the running game, and his exceptional hands make him a legit threat out of the backfield.

Being a dual-threat make him an added value to any team’s offense.

Ken Becks [TheScout] has been covering & scouting NFL prospects for over 30 years! Ken has worked with the Indoor Football Scouting Bureau and he’s been mentioned in publications such as Scout.com, ABCNews.com, and TheNewsStar.com. He covers the NFL Draft for FirstRoundMock.com and he is the founder and Director of 1stDownScouting.com. Follow him @1stdown_scout on Twitter.