NW Atlanta News

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – By virtually any measure, Bijan Robinson's rookie season was a success.

The No. 8 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft carried the ball 214 times for 976 yards, ranking 15th among all running backs and first among rookies. He also caught 58 passes for 487 yards, ranking fourth among NFL backs and again leading all rookies.

"When you get the ball in his hands, he makes people miss, he gets extra yards, he's able to fight for extra yards," Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said. "He breaks tackles, he's fast, he's explosive, he's strong."

Robinson touched the ball 272 times for a total of 1,463 yards and eight touchdowns. That yardage total ranks 15th among the 27 rookie running backs since 2000 with at least 270 touches and places Robinson in elite company.

The two players directly above Robinson on that ranking are Chris Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson. While his 1,463 yards place him 15th on that list, Robinson ranked last among the players in overall touches.

In simpler terms: Robinson's average of 5.4 yards per touch ranked sixth on the list of rookie running backs with at least 270 touches since 2000. He's ahead of players like Jamal Lewis, Marshawn Lynch and Le'Veon Bell.

As he prepares to enter his second NFL season, Robinson's trajectory appears promising. It's commonly believed within the league that significant progress is often made during a player's second and third years. Although it remains uncertain how high Robinson's ceiling is, his rookie performance is promising.

Over the past two decades-plus, there have been numerous examples of running backs who gained more than 1,000 rushing yards in their second seasons without having reached that benchmark as rookies—a selection that does not include Robinson but highlights his potential.

A current comparison is San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey. The versatile player led the NFL with over 2,000 scrimmage yards last season. Both Morris and Falcons offensive coordinator Zac Robinson have cited McCaffrey as a reference point for Atlanta’s second-year back.

"I think he compared himself to that Christian McCaffrey role," Morris said. "If we can get anywhere near the great player that Christian McCaffrey is, I think we'll all be excited."

McCaffrey had fewer touches as a rookie compared to Robinson but saw significant increases in subsequent seasons—achieving nearly double his scrimmage yardage by Year Three through an expanded role both as a runner and receiver.

Chris Johnson provides another relevant comparison; after gaining similar yardage to Robinson as a rookie in Tennessee in 2008, Johnson exploded for over 2,500 scrimmage yards in Year Two—a feat driven primarily by increased carries rather than receptions.

Le'Veon Bell also offers insights into what might be achievable for Robinson; Bell saw substantial gains from his first to second year by increasing both rushes and receptions significantly.

"With the ball in his hands," Zac Robinson noted about Bijan Robinson’s capabilities "there are so many things he can do... There's nothing he can't do."

Given Atlanta’s roster of talented young players including Tyler Allgeier alongside evolving game strategies favoring lower-volume workloads for running backs—it remains uncertain whether Bijan will see enough volume needed to reach historically high numbers seen from predecessors like Derrick Henry or DeMarco Murray

However given comparisons drawn between him & other elite talents such as McCaffrey combined w/ comments from coaching staff emphasizing maximizing opportunities—the potential exists for significant progression

"In simplest terms possible" Morris summarized "it's: 'Get ball To Bijan As Much As You Can In As Many Ideal Situations That You Possibly Can.'"