Don’t Buy the Hype -Bijan Robinson, University of Texas

First Round Mock’s William Yanish issues a stern pre-draft warning about Texas running back (RB) Bijan Robinson.

The media sometimes has a bad way of building up players before the NFL Draft.

There are tons of players on top of the rankings. It’s not always the prospect’s fault when they don’t meet expectations and fans start calling for their heads. It’s not their job to grade themselves.

This is a vicious cycle that repeats itself every year.

They chalk it up to what they call a bad general manager (GM) or say it’s the player’s fault. Other times, they just completely forget the hype that they sold.

I like to call it, lying season.

Generational talent?

This next prospect really needs no introduction.

His name is Bijan Robinson, and he’s a running back from the University of Texas.

At 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, 4.46 40-yard-dash speed and a 37″ vertical, he has been likened to Giants’ star RB Saquon Barkley of the New York Giants.

These are things that Robinson just isn’t.

No matter who is saying what, at First Round Mock we only believe our eyes. Our unofficial motto is the film never lies.

So, as I started watching his game film, I noticed something. Going back, I rewatched from the beginning and marked down every time he would gain 10 or more yards from scrimmage. I also marked down when he was bottled up for no gain or behind the line of scrimmage. I did this for five games over last two years and he got 18 positive marks versus 24 negative marks.

What did I see?

It’s not all bad.

Robinson isn’t out there hurdling defenders like Barkley or RB Christian McCaffrey, but that doesn’t mean he can’t play in this league. He can be an excellent short yardage and goal line back. He can be a pretty good receiver as well.

The Yanish Report

Good balance. Nimble on his toes. Can get to the corner, but lacks breakaway speed. Hits the hole quickly. Vision is out-of-sight. Hard stiff arm. Drives the pile. Penchant for falling forward. Lacks running power. Decent cuts and change of direction. Sells plays action with the best of them. Safety-valve plugin. Soft hands when applicable. Where is the production in the passing game? Ready and willing blocker. Excellent blitz pickup.

The truth

I feel the cat is already out of the bag with Robinson. Having only two official visits with the Eagles and the Buccaneers is a tell tale sign.

It’s widely known that RBs just don’t go in the first-round, unless they have superstar potential.

There isn’t any trace of that in Robinson’s game film.

None.

To make this really simple, there’s just not anything that stands out with Robinson. He is not a home-run threat and he isn’t a superior athlete. There isn’t any sign of that “It” factor. So many will point to statistics like how many touchdowns he has scored, or the number of tackles that he has broken. That’s just not it. At the next level, everyone is good.

My BIG three questions

1. Will he be in a RB by committee back field, or will his new team try to feature him as a RB?
2. Will his new team be in rebuild mode, or will they be relevant?
3. Having already reached his ceiling in college, but just how low is his floor?

How Robinson stacks up and game film reviewed

Draft Community Projection (nflmockdraftdatabase.com): First-Round

My draft value: Third-Round

Pro comparison: RB Cam Akers

Game Film Reviewed:

Oklahoma ’21

Texas Tech ’21

Kansas State ’22

Alabama ’22

Oklahoma State ’22

William Yanish III is a life long football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.