Falcons superstar Bijan Robinson is just 23, but the third-year running back has already built up an impressive body of work. He hasn’t missed a game since being drafted a first-round draft pick in 2023. He’s racked up over 2,700 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on the ground and made what is sure to be the first of many Pro Bowls.

Even in college, he amassed 3,400 yards on a whopping 500-plus carries in just three years at Texas and won the Doak Walker Award as a junior.

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And although he’s squared off against some of the most ferocious defenders at both the NFL and Power 5 levels of the game, when asked recently about the best and toughest opponent he’s ever faced, he named a Dallas Cowboy who he used to see every single day in practice.

Appearing on ESPN’s This is Football digital show/podcast, Robinson was asked by host Kevin Clark about “the biggest badass” he’s ever played with.

Robinson took a moment to think about it.

“I’ll say in college: DeMarvion Overshown,” he said with a smile. “That dude… He gave me the most competitive time, in college, in practice, every time. Like, he made me a better player, I’ll say that.”

Overshown had already been a Longhorn for two seasons before Robinson showed up in Austin. But then for the next three years, they went at each other hard in practice. Texas went 20-15 from 2020 to 2022, winning a pair of Alamo Bowls with Robinson and Overshown as teammates.

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Robinson went on to be drafted eighth overall by Atlanta; Overshown was a third-round selection (90th overall) by the Cowboys that same year but did not play as a rookie after tearing an ACL in the preseason.

Overshown finally made his NFL debut in 2024’s Week 1 but sustained another season-ending knee injury in early December. He is expected back around Thanksgiving this year, but some reports out of The Star say he could beat that timeline by a week or two.

Robinson certainly saw Overshown’s tenacity, grind, and athleticism during their three years together at Texas.

“He never stops. He’s extremely athletic. He’s a bigger linebacker that can cover, that can run side-to-side, that can just be where you’re at every single time. He can cover you really well. I’ll say DeMarvion Overshown is the guy. In practice, we would always have these one-on-one battles, and he would always make me want to just win every single time.

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“Now in the NFL, practices are different, But back in college, we used to go after it. But I appreciate DeMarvion so much.”

The two actually got together again as pros in November of last season. In a Week 9 visit by the Cowboys to Atlanta, Overshown recorded four tackles on Robinson, two of them for a loss, in a game that Atlanta won by a 27-21 score.

Overshown would play in five more games before his most recent knee injury: a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL in Week 14. He hasn’t played since.

“He was killing it with the Cowboys,” Robinson went on, “but I would say he is definitely the guy that made me, really, a much better player. … My running backs coach, Michael Pitre, he don’t give nobody compliments, like, other opponents. He respects them, but DeMarvion was the only player last year where he went up to him and was like, ‘Bro, you’re going to be the guy. Just keep on going. You’re going to be a beast.'”

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High praise indeed.

Overshown himself saw the clip and responded on social media.

“I can still remember our first workout together,” Overshown wrote in part to Robinson. “I will always appreciate our battles during practice. Definition of Iron sharpening Iron!”

The Cowboys and Falcons won’t face each other in the regular season this year, so the two won’t have the chance to renew their personal iron-sharpening rivalry.

It sounds like there’s a part of Robinson that may be grateful for that.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys LB DeMarvion Overshown singled out by Falcons’ Bijan Robinson