If Detroit Lions draft Bijan Robinson, could he become their best running back since Barry Sanders?
The Detroit Lions may end up selecting Bijan Robinson in the 2023 NFL Draft. If that happens, they could be adding an electrifying star who has the potential to become the franchise’s greatest running back since Barry Sanders.
The Lions currently own the sixth (from the Los Angeles Rams, thanks to the Matthew Stafford trade) and 17th overall picks in the first round of the draft. While No. 6 is too high for a running back these days, Detroit should be able to take Robinson with the 17th pick.
Robinson is coming off a stellar career for the Texas Longhorns. This season, he ranked fourth in the nation with 18 rushing touchdowns and fifth in rushing yards (1,580). He also did his part as a pass-catcher, racking up 19 catches, 314 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
This one is still mind blowing stuff. The way Bijan Robinson moves around at 220 pounds is insane.
One of the easiest evaluation I made in the last couple of years.
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The Arizona native surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark in nine of his last 10 contests, including a pair of 200-yard performances. During a November win over Kansas, he produced a career-high 243 yards to go along with four touchdowns.
Robinson became the fourth player in Longhorns history to take home the prestigious Doak Walker Award. He joined Ricky Williams (who won the award back-to-back), Cedric Benson and current Carolina Panther D’Onta Foreman.
Despite not being a Heisman Trophy finalist, he was among the top 10 vote-getters for the award.
Could Bijan Robinson become Detroit Lions' greatest running back since the legendary Barry Sanders?
After producing a ridiculous 2,628 rushing yards and 37 touchdowns during his final season at Oklahoma State, Barry Sanders was selected by the Lions third overall in the 1989 NFL Draft.
The 1988 Heisman Trophy winner would eventually go down as the Lions’ greatest player of all time. He might even be the greatest running back in NFL history, although some people would claim Jim Brown or Walter Payton was better.
Sanders spent his entire 10-year career in Detroit, rushing for over 1,000 yards each season. He produced a career-high 2,053 yards in 1997, as he shared the NFL MVP award with Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre.
When you think of the Lions, you probably envision Sanders juking and blowing past defenders at the old Pontiac Silverdome like he always did.
There are only a handful of athletes you stop everything to watch play and Barry Sanders is one of my favorite athletes ever. 4.3-4.4 speed, cut on a dime, and when he got in that gallup it was a wrap. You actually laugh at what he did to defenses, especially the run on the Pats https://t.co/6H8Wp4S0jc
Detroit’s running game just hasn’t been the same since Sanders retired following the 1998 campaign. The team has only had three players who’ve rushed over 1,000 yards since: James Stewart (2000 and 2002), Kevin Jones (2004) and Reggie Bush (2013).
Current Lion Jamaal Williams is only six yards shy of 1,000, so surely he’ll reach the mark in the team’s final game of the season.
Bijan Robinson would be an excellent pickup for the Lions, contributing in both the running and passing game. The team could certainly use another running back as Williams is a free agent following the season and D’Andre Swift is injury prone.
Barring injury, Robinson could certainly turn out to be the best back in town since the Barry Sanders era.