2023 mock NFL Draft: 49ers watch NFC get significantly stronger
19. player. 851. . Running Back. Longhorns . Bijan Robinson
2023 NFL Draft, Pick No. 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Bijan Robinson, Running Back, Texas
On value alone, this is a ridiculous steal. Regardless of position, Bijan Robinson is the best prospect in this draft class, and it’s a sign of both the needs of other teams as well as the general trend of stepping away from using high picks on running backs that pushes Robinson here.
It wouldn’t surprise me if a team decided to move up to take him.
Leonard Fournette and Rachaad White were excellent receiving backs but struggled actually running the ball for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2022. Robinson can step in right away as the best runner on the Bucs, and he’d be a star player Tampa Bay can build around.
It’s hard to pin down specific praises for Robinson given how great he is at everything. He isn’t the fastest running back, but he’s fast enough to do what he did at Texas. He’s an amazing route runner and is as good as almost any receiver in recent memory. He’s twitchy but strong, elusive but rugged. He can run over the top of defenders or run rings around them.
Robinson ran for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns at 6.1 yards per carry this season. He also notched 19 receptions for 314 yards and two scores.
Robinson should, and very possibly could go much earlier than this. All it takes is one team to fall in love with him, and I suspect he’ll be a lot higher in my final mock draft right before the actual draft begins.