Atlanta Falcons Vice President of player personnel Kyle Smith and Director of College Scouting Anthony Robinson were in attendance for the Iowa State-Texas game on Saturday, October 15, according to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick.
Who exactly they were eyeing remains a question mark, but the source close to Flick said he believes they were there to scout Longhorns’ star running back Bijan Robinson.
Robinson has himself a day in the Texans’ 24-21 victory over the Cyclones, rushing for 136 yards on 28 carriers. He also had four receptions for 36 yards in the air.
Per source, the Falcons had Vice President of player personnel Kyle Smith and director of college scouting Anthony Robinson in attendance for Iowa State @ Texas.
A big game for Longhorns star RB Bijan Robinson, who had 28 carries for 136 yards and four receptions for 36 yards.
Robinson draws a comparison to Atlanta’s veteran Cordarrelle Patterson, so it’s no surprise that the Falcons could be interested in the Texas running back and planning for life after CP.
Robinson Has Made a Name For Himself in Texas
Robinson, 20, has made quite the name for himself at Texas and is already one of the top prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft.
On the 2022 season so far, Robinson has totaled 138 attempts for 780 yards (5.7 yards per rush) and 10 touchdowns. The 6-foot, 221-pound dual-threat running back has also logged 16 receptions for 239 yards and a touchdown through the air.
But his most impressive stats include tallying over 100 yards through the last five straight games and checking off the 100 all-purpose yards mark in every single game up to this point.
Last fall, Robinson broke out for 1,127 rushing yards (5.8 yards per carry) and 11 rushing touchdowns, along with 295 receiving yards and four scores in the air.
The Tuscon, Arizona native doesn’t have much, if any, blink in his game and should settle in nicely in the first round of the 2023 draft next April.
“Robinson is an effective and efficient runner showing great burst and balance. He is able to slow his feet in traffic and re-direct at a moment’s notice. The third-year runner avoided 88 tackles last season, which was the fifth most, according to TruMedia. The Arizona native was a productive pass-catcher for the Longhorns in 2021 as well. The only obstacle standing between Robinson and hearing his name called in the first round of the NFL Draft is positional value. The 2022 NFL Draft was the first without a running back selected in the first round since 2014.” — CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Josh Edwards.
Falcons Could Be In Trouble With Cordarrelle Patterson
Last year, Atlanta Falcons all-purpose player, Cordarelle Patterson, single-handily carried the team on his back.
Patterson recorded a career-high of 607 rushing yards, 547 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns in 2021.
The 31-year-old kicked off this season with another hot start, logging 48 yards and three touchdowns on 58 carries before landing on injured reserve with a knee injury ahead of Week 4’s matchup against the Cleveland Browns.
Patterson has been used much less in the passing game this year as Atlanta has relied heavily on their run game.
Before heading to the IR, he was on pace for 1,706 yards rushing this season, which very few running backs have come close to at his age in the league. That might be hard to hit now after missing four games. And while he is on tap to return in two more weeks, it’s unclear if the Falcons will be getting the same running back they saw before a knee injury sidelined him.
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Falcons Sent Scouts to Iowa State vs. Texas: Report