National Football League

Bijan Robinson hoping for 'special' pairing with Falcons

Updated May. 5, 2023 1:13 p.m. ET

Kevin Durant had the right idea.

Moments after the Falcons used the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft to take running back Bijan Robinson from Texas, another proud Longhorn shared his excitement about the selection to 20 million followers on Twitter.

"Congrats @Bijan5Robinson," Durant wrote. "One of the greatest I've ever seen put on that burnt orange. @AtlantaFalcons got a star!! Let's go."

Today's NFL rarely values running backs as much as the Falcons did in drafting Robinson, but in landing the running back, the franchise arguably has its biggest star with a reach extending outside their market since the days of Matt Ryan winning an MVP and Julio Jones going to seven Pro Bowls.

Robinson, who accounted for 4,215 yards of total offense and 41 touchdowns in just 31 games at Texas, is the odds-on front-runner to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and easily the best fantasy football option among this year's draft class. The Falcons already ranked No. 3 in the NFL in rushing offense and had all their backs and all their offensive line back, plus a dangerous big-play threat now in Robinson.

"Obviously the offense is really good, with really good talent, and me, I just want to be a piece in that offense and do as much as I can, no matter where they line me up at," Robinson said last week, moments after he was drafted. "I'm trying to help the offense and help the whole team and make us the team that we are. Hopefully, we can make something special happen out of it."

The Falcons had gone their first 56 seasons as a franchise with just one rookie 1,000-yard rusher — William Andrews in 1979 — and now are in good position to have one two years in a row. Atlanta picked Robinson despite getting a big year from last year's fifth-round pick, Tyler Allgeier, who rushed for a franchise rookie record 1,035 yards.

Even with Allgeier back, Robinson will have a chance to surpass that, and make an immediate impact few NFL rookie backs have in recent years. In the last five years, only two rookies have surpassed 1,500 yards of total offense — the Steelers' Najee Harris had 1,667 in 2021, and the Giants' Saquon Barkley had 2,028 in 2018. The last time the Falcons had a 1,500-yard season from a running back was Devonta Freeman in 2016, when the Falcons went all the way to the Super Bowl.

Robinson wasn't sure where he might go leading up to the draft — no running back has gone higher than 20 since Barkley was the second pick in 2018. And while he knew the Falcons were high on him based on extensive interaction before the draft, it was still a thrill to hear his name called and to finally know where he would be starting his NFL career.

"That was such a great moment," he said. "You can look in the mirror and be like 'Man, Bijan, you are a Falcon, man.' It was pretty special. Even seeing the fans as I got off the stage and how happy and excited they were, it made me so much more excited to want to be a part. I just can't wait."

Falcons select Bijan

FOX Sports NFL analyst Bucky Brooks shares his thoughts on the Falcons drafting Texas RB Bijan Robinson with the 8th pick.

Falcons coach Arthur Smith has a commitment to a run-first offense, which will ease the burden on a young quarterback in second-year pro Desmond Ridder, but Robinson will be a player who contributes on both sides of the offense. He caught 60 passes for 805 yards and eight touchdowns in three seasons at Texas, sometimes lining up directly in the slot, as he will have the chance to do in Atlanta. The Falcons don't have a ton of established depth behind 2022 first-round pick Drake London, but Robinson can help with that.

Can Robinson be a box-office draw for the Falcons? Atlanta averaged 69,583 fans last season for home games, but as a percentage of capacity, they were at 92.8 percent, ranking 30th out of 32 teams. Whether it's from the interest in Robinson or the increased winning that could come with him, the Falcons can raise their standing, locally and nationally, competing for an NFC South title that will be wide-open after having all four teams finish with losing records last season.

The Falcons know what kind of production Robinson had in college, but they're as excited about the person as they are the player, about the process and preparation that has made his on-field success possible.

"He is a really mature young man," Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said last week. "The ways he works ... it's kind of unique because most of these players, they're young, so they're going to be a little immature but he is already a true professional ... We get excited about that. We get excited about when you put on the tape, he is usually the best player on the field out there. He has been like that for a long time in his life and then whenever you meet the person and put the total picture together — we like to bring in guys that are going to make people around them better as well, and he is. He is going to come in, and the competitor he is, the person he is, we're really excited."

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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