Skip to Search Skip to Live Player Skip to Content Skip to Footer

The Best Show Ever?: Weekdays 2pm – 6pm

The Best Show Ever?: Weekdays 2pm – 6pm

The Best Show Ever?: Weekdays 2pm – 6pm

EJ Smith- Would Be Shocked If they Took Bijan Robinson

Placeholder Shilloutte User Image
Author and Dylan MacKinnon
AUSTIN, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 25: Bijan Robinson #5 of the Texas Longhorns runs the ball in the fourth quarter defended by Devin Lemear #20 of the Baylor Bears at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Austin, Texas.

There is a significant portion of the Eagles fan base all in on the Eagles taking Texas RB Bijan Robinson in the first round. Whether it be at pick 10, or from them trading down to later in the 1st. There is another portion of the Eagles fanbase dead set against taking any RB that high, no matter how high. It has been a point of debate for weeks now.

So what side will get their way? EJ Smith from the Philly Inquirer joined The Best Show Ever earlier today. And Bijan Robinson fans just will not be happy to hear his thoughts.

“I would be shocked if it happened... Bijan is a really special player. He would add another dimension to an already special offense… But when you look at team success, when teams use assets like that on the RB position, there is not a strong track record. And an important thing to remember is when you draft an RB that early, you are paying them pretty good money. So you are not getting great positional value or great contract value.

I would never say never. The Eagles do like to think outside the box. But while I think he is a great prospect; I think the Eagles will address a more premium position with that pick at 10.”

Which all sounds very familiar. It is what everyone close to the team has been saying all along. That even with how good of an RB Bijan Robinson is, it is not something the Eagles would do. it is just not a position most teams value high enough to invest a top 10 pick in or the money a top 10 pick would earn. It is why they let Miles Sanders leave in free agency. And it is why so many RBs this offseason have struggled to get big paydays.

EJ Smith also discussed what he thinks the Eagles will do if landing Jalen Carter is a realistic possibility and more.

You can listen to the full interview with EJ Smith below…

5 Things to Know About RB Bijan Robinson- Eagles Prospect Profile

Would the Eagles actually consider Bijan Robinson at pick 10? There certainly seems to be a ton of Mock Drafters saying so. And not just random dudes with blogs. Some of the big names in draft coverage are connecting the Eagles to Bijan Robinson. Both Dane Brugler from The Athletic and Todd McShay from ESPN selected Bijan for the Eagles at 10.  

Miles Sanders is going to leave in free agency. So RB is a need, even if the Eagles are confident in Kenny Gainwell stepping into a larger role. But big enough of a need for them to break tradition and modern NFL thought and spend a top-10 pick on an RB? Probably not.  

Especially considering the long grocery list of other needs the Eagles have. Adam Schefter’s reporting on The John Kincade Show suggests the Eagles could be losing nearly all their big-name free agents. The Eagles’ defense will need a massive overhaul, and much of that will have to come in the draft. A great RB would be a luxury. But when you are already budgeting to make sure you get all the essentials like bread and eggs at the grocery store, it is not necessarily wise to also buy a prime rib.  

But enough people are connecting the Texas RB and the Eagles, that he is at least worth looking at. And man is this guy fun to watch. Is Bijan Robinson really the game-breaking RB so many think he will be in the NFL? Good enough to be worth using a top-10 pick on? Or are these supposed draft experts just making a pick that there is no chance of actually happening? Since his name keeps coming up, let’s get to know him better.  

Here are 5 things you should know about Texas RB Bijan Robinson.  

  • Yes, He Is As Good As They Say

    One thing they are not exaggerating is how good this guy is. Robinson does pretty much everything you would want an RB to do. Want an RB who can run over people and get short yardage? Well, Bijan broke 91 tackles last season. Not 91 tackles in his career at Texas. 91 tackles in one season. Derick Henry led the NFL with 35 this season. That is the level we are dealing with. You do not want to be a defender in his path.

    But he is not just a bruiser. Because as his combine showed, he is also fast. Robinson was 6th among RBs with a 40-yard dash of 4.46, and 3rd in the 10-yard split with 1.52 seconds. He can run, he can juke,  and he is as explosive as he his strong. All that explains why he had 1,580 rushing yards, and 20 total TDs. He is going to be a monster in the NFL. Between running people over, and juking people out, opposing defenders had a missed tackle rate of 39% against him.  

    Not to mention he can also catch passes and block.

  • Elite RBs Don't Always Translate to Wins

    It is a lot of fun watching a great RB. Seeing them bowl people over and rack up huge numbers. But does that translate to wins? Recent history says no. You would have to go back to 2016 to find the last time a team won a Super Bowl with a 1000-yard rusher. That was the Patriots. And by the way, their 1000-yard RB was LeGarrette Blount, who they were paying less than $1 million per year. You have to go back much further to find a team that won with an RB they invested any significant resources in.  

    Of the top 5 rushing yard leaders, the top 3 all missed the playoffs. And the Eagles were probably the best running team in the league, yet they spent just 2.8 million total on the position. And draft-wise, all they invested in their 3 RBs was a 2nd and 5th-round pick.  

    Think of the greatest RBs of the past couple of decades. How many won anything? Adrian Peterson was a monster in Minnesota. He won 1 playoff game in his time there and only made it 4 times. LaDainian Tomlinson won just two playoff games in his time in San Diego. Chris Johnson, Frank Gore, Shaun Alexander, Derick Henry. All guys with Hall of Fame cases, and none of their teams won anything real.  

    RBs are not useless. Having capable guys is certainly a benefit. But the general idea is you can get away with RBs that are merely good. That goes double when you have a run-blocking O-line as good as the Eagles do. The same can be said about the Chiefs. The Chiefs invested a first-round pick in an RB a few years back, but that never really translated in their run game taking a huge leap, and now the guy they drafted may be out with the Chiefs. But once they invested heavily in the O-Line, they turned into a very good running team with a 7th-round pick leading the way at RB. 

  • Big Praise From Another Top Prospect in the Draft

    Alabama’s Will Anderson is pretty good. In fact, he is probably the best non-QB in the draft, with only Jalen Carter as competition for the title. He’s so good, there is pretty much no chance he falls to the Eagles. Well, he had some pretty significant praise for Bijan Robinson. Reporters asked him who the toughest guy he has ever faced was. And he did not mince words. He chose Bijan Robinson. 

    “He’s a big back. We had to gang-tackle him, get all hats to the ball. He was going to break a few tackles. We had to tackle the right way. He’s probably the toughest person I faced in college football.” 

  • "Better Person Than He is a Player"

    No one can doubt what a great player Robinson is. What you may not know though, is that he also is a really good person, at least according to his coach and teammates. Steve Sarkisian gushed more about Robinson the human being, than he did about Robinson the Football player. Here is what he said back in a Press Conference on October 17th.  

    “For being as good of a player that he is, I really think it’s the person that makes him different. He’s an unbelievable human being. I always say he’s a better person than he is a player. But he doesn’t leave that person in the locker room. He brings him onto the field with him. He’s not a selfish person at all. He’s selfless and and it’s not about Bijan. It’s not about how many carries, it’s not about how many touchdowns. It’s about the team. He cares so much for his teammates that, ultimately, I think his teammates play for him too.” 

     

  • Eagles not a Fan Of Investing Heavily in RBs

    The last time the Eagles drafted an RB in the first round was Keith Byars in 1986. They haven’t handed out a big contract to an RB since Demarco Murray in 2015. And they shipped that contract out 1-year later. Before him they also paid LeSean Mccoy. But other than those two, one of which undoubtedly worked out very poorly for the Eagles, the Eagles just don’t have a history of paying their RBS. Even with Brian Westbrook, the most they ever gave him was 5 million per year.  

    And to be fair, they have good reason to be wary of that. There are not many teams that gave out big contracts to RBs, where it paid off. And not many teams who invested first round picks into Running Backs, saw that turn into postseason success. Chiefs did, but they were 1) already winners, and 2) CEH didn’t actually help them continue to win, they were just good enough to overcome that bad pick.  

    Meanwhile Giants, Cowboys, Panthers, Jaguars, Rams, Chargers, Patriots, Seahawks, and Raiders all invested firsts in a RB since 2018. What returns have any of those teams received from those picks? There is pretty much no recent examples of teams investing high picks in RBs and it panning out well for them. They get great players sure. But as already discussed, great RBs don’t translate to wins.

    Taking RBS on day 2 is a different story. We have seen that turn into success. Having a cheap RB, that is that good, can be incredibly successful. And if some team manages to snag Bijan with a 2nd round pick, that could work out well for them, at least for 4 years while he is on a rookie deal.

  • 5 Things to Know About Devon Witherspoon- Eagles Prospect Profile

    5 Things to Know About Devon Witherspoon- Eagles Prospect Profile

  • 5 Things to Know About CB Joey Porter Jr- Eagles Prospect Profile

    5 Things to Know About CB Joey Porter Jr- Eagles Prospect Profile

  • 5 Things to Know About DE- Nolan Smith- Eagles Prospect Profile

    5 Things to Know About DE- Nolan Smith- Eagles Prospect Profile

Tyrone Johnson is the host of “The Best Show Ever” on 97.5 The Fanatic. He has been with the station for the past 8 years. Before working at the Fanatic, Tyrone produced political radio, did financial reports, and was assistant chief engineer of another radio station. As a content creator for 97.5 The Fanatic, Tyrone writes articles on the Sixers, Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.

Sign Up For The Fanatic MVP Insider Newsletter

Get the info you need on the Philly Sports landscape, events you need to know about, exclusive contests, and more.

*
By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time.
Placeholder Shilloutte User Image
Author and Dylan MacKinnon
Category:
Tags:
,,

More 97.5 The Fanatic

Load More