Bijan Robinson selected 8th overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2023 NFL Draft
One the top prospects, if not the top prospect, in the 2023 NFL draft has found his new home. The Atlanta Falcons selected Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson with the 8th pick of the draft on Thursday night.
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Robinson, thought to be a tier one prospect along with Alabama quarterback and Carolina Panthers first overall pick Bryce Young, is the first Texas offensive player to be selected in the first round since Vince Young was taken third overall in the 2006 draft.
The 2022 Doak Walker Award winner, Robinson backed up his standout three-year collegiate career with a strong performance in Indianapolis at the 2023 NFL combine. Robinson ran a 4.46 40-yard-dash and vertical jumped 37 inches all at 5-foot-11, 215 pounds.
Robinson took home unanimous All-America honors following his 2022 campaign. He rushed for 1580 yards on 258 carries with 18 touchdowns. He also added 19 receptions for 314 yards and two scores to bring his total yardage to 1894 yards on the season. Robinson elected to skip the 2022 Valero Alamo Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. He finished his Texas career with 3410 total rushing yards, good for fourth in school history behind Earl Campbell, Cedric Benson, and Ricky Williams.
In 2021, Robinson rushed 195 time for 1127 yards with 11 touchdowns. He missed the last two games of the season after suffering a dislocated elbow in the Longhorns’ home loss to Kansas. He added 26 catches for 295 yards and four scores.
His freshman year saw him break a decades-old school record for yards per carry. Thanks to his 703 yards on 86 carries, Robinson’s 8.2 ypc bested a mark of 7.9 set by Jimmy Saxton during Texas’ 1961 season.
A phenom on the field, Robinson was just as popular off of it. His contagious smile, strong faith, and magnetic personality at the onset of the NIL era made him an easy choice for companies to choose as their face. Lamborghini, Raising Canes, and even his own brand of mustard in Bijan Mustardson were some of the products who chose to align with Robinson.
Robinson joins Tommy Nobis, Bob McKay, Jerry Sisemore, Raymond Clayborn, Earl Campbell, Russell Erxleben, Lam Jones, Johnnie Johnson, Derrick Hatchett, Kenneth Sims, Mossy Cade, Mike Ruether, Jerry Gray, Eric Metcalf, Stanley Richard, Stan Thomas, Blake Brockermeyer, Bryant Westbrook, Ricky Williams, Leonard Davis, Casey Hampton, Mike Williams, Quentin Jammer, Roy Williams, Marcus Tubbs, Cedric Benson, Derrick Johnson, Vince Young, Michael Huff, Michael Griffin, Aaron Ross, Brian Orakpo, Earl Thomas, Kenny Vaccaro, and Malcom Brown as Longhorns taken in the first round since 1966.
