Robinson has the talent to produce like Barkley, the 2024 AP offensive player of the year. <\/p>\n
Defenders have a hard time wrangling Robinson in tight quarters because of his superlative vision and short-area quickness. He finds space where there appears to be none, turning would-be busted plays into gains that move the chains. <\/p>\n
But Robinson has been relatively ordinary once he finds open field. <\/p>\n
In 2024, he had one run longer than 30 yards among 304 attempts, a 37-yard score against the Saints. Thirty-one players had at least two runs of more than 30 yards, and seven running backs had five or more. Barkley produced 12 runs of more than 30 yards, including nine attempts for 40-plus yards and eight for more than 50.<\/p>\n
Robinson can make an impact like Barkley if he wins more showdowns with one defender to beat and turns nice runs into game-changing plays. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s his next step to becoming the player that he\u2019s going to become, is being able to get those big plays,\u201d Falcons running back coach Michael Pitre said. \u201cBecause at the end of the day, yeah, he is efficient. Great ball security and pass protection. Three-down back on those things.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it would be awesome if we can break some of those big ones, and then (coordinator Zac Robinson) doesn\u2019t have to call another play, right? He\u2019s sending out the kick team.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barkley\u2019s ability to produce long touchdown runs puts him on another level among NFL ball carriers. He had four touchdowns of 60 yards or more last season, then did it three more times in the playoffs. Two of those postseason scores gave the Eagles the lead. The other long TD finished off the Rams late in a divisional playoff game. <\/p>\n
The Falcons drafted Bijan Robinson with the belief that he could become a game-changer like Barkley. After the Giants went against NFL convention by selecting a running back early in the 2018 draft, the Falcons did the same in 2023. <\/p>\n