It had been eight years since a Texas Longhorns player was selected in the first round of the NFL Draft when Bijan Robinson became the seventh overall pick in 2023.
The Atlanta Falcons surely didn't regret the decision.
"When he gets the ball in his hands, he makes people miss," Falcons coach Raheem Morris said during mandatory minicamps. "He gets extra yards. He's able to fight for extra yards. He breaks tackles. He's fast. He's explosive. He's strong. He can do so many things you can get overwhelmed sometimes, maybe, as a play-caller or designer."
Regarding how Robinson is used within the team, the answer was simple: Get him the ball as much as you can and in as many ideal situations as you possibly can.
“Get the ball to Bijan as much as you can, in as many ideal situations as you possibly can,” Morris said. “For him, he’s so talented, you don’t want to limit the things he can do. But you also don’t want to water it down so much that he’s not doing anything he can do great.
Atlanta's new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson plans on deploying him similarly to 49ers All-Pro Christian McCaffrey.
"If we can get him anywhere near the great player that Christian McCaffrey is, I think we'll all be pretty excited," Morris said.
In his rookie year with the Falcons, the running back scored four touchdowns and rushed over 975 yards. Robinson is among the betting favorites for 2024-25 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.
"I'm going to be more of a runner that does everything else," Robinson said. "It's like run first like I did in college, and then still have access to go receiver. Still have access to do creative things out in the backfield."
Robinson and the Falcons will kick off the regular season at home on Sept. 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
