Every year there is an interesting prospect that the NFL world goes crazy over; this year is no different. Every few years an intriguing running back makes his way up draft boards and gets drafted in the early rounds, some recent examples of this are New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley, and former Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot. Both of them were taken within the first four picks of their respective drafts. This year, Texans running back Bijan Robinson has been called a “generational talent,” but this has many asking, “is Bijan Robinson worth the hype?”

Bijan has started as a Longhorn’s running back for three years; in 2022, he had 258 attempts for 1,580 yards, 6.1 yards on average, and 18 touchdowns. Another impressive stat that seems overlooked is that in his 3-year collegiate career, he only recorded five fumbles! Bijan has proven that whatever team takes a chance on him will get an: explosive, play making, workhorse running back. 

The first game that I analyzed was Texas vs. Iowa State. In this game, Bijan recorded 28 attempts, for 135 yards. He added an extra thirty-six receiving yards on four receptions, most of these yards came from one twenty-six-yard catch. In this game, Bijan’s running was nothing short of exceptional. He displayed his great ability to find gaps that other guys simply couldn’t, and pairing that with his lightning-quick cut moves, this allows Bijan to be a force of nature. One thing that I found wrong with Bijan in this game is his route tree. While Bijan is known for his great ability to run the ball, a lot of teams in the NFL also want their running back to also be able to catch the ball, and while Bijan is well capable of catching the ball, it’s clear that with the limited amount of routes that he uses, that it might be a struggle for him to get separation in the NFL. 

The second game I analyzed was Texas vs. Baylor. In this game, Bijan recorded 29 attempts for 179 yards and two touchdowns. This game is another great showing of Bijan’s ability to find the gap to get yards. In this game, he was very good at faking a run, opening up a great option offense for Texas. NFL scouts should love this because it shows that Bijan isn’t a lazy back and it will add a great dynamic to an NFL team. Another thing that Bijan is great at is avoiding tackles; a great word to describe Bijan would be slippery. When the other defense does catch Bijan, however, he fights for the extra yards, at times even dragging along multiple defenders with him. 

The final game I analyzed was Texas vs. Alabama. In this game, Bijan recorded 21 attempts for 57 yards and one touchdown. Bijan and the Texas offensive line struggled this game against a daunting Alabama front seven. Bijan averaged his third-lowest yards per carry of his collegiate career in this game. However, as always, Bijan showed outstanding effort in the face of adversity, even though it was one of the toughest games he would have to play, he fought for every single yard.

Bijan Robinson is an outstanding prospect. His ability to cut at electric speeds, find the open hole, and fight will propel him to the top running back on most, if not all, team’s draft boards. The team I would look out for taking Bijan would be the Tennessee Titans; there have been rumors that the Titans are in the market for trading away their franchise superstar Derrick Henry due to his age, I think due to the teams run first mentality they could be in the market to take Bijan with the 11th overall pick. Bijan would be a great option to fill the hole that Henry would leave and immediately take the league by storm in that offense. 

To answer the question initially asked, yes, Bijan Robinson is absolutely worth the hype. He is a great prospect with the potential to become a premiere back in the National Football League. You need to watch out during the draft for the name Bijan Robinson, he will be a game changer.