Getty Bijan Robinson on the field for the Longhorns in 2022.
As the NFL draft process winds down, there are some intriguing players that could figure to be in the mix for the Detroit Lions.
Perhaps one of the best players that could earn this distinction is Texas running back Bijan Robinson. Several have had Robinson as in-play for the Lions, but others have backed off given the fact that running back isn’t a position teams commonly sink first-round resources into anymore.
Peter King of NBC Sports is not so sure that is a good idea for some contenders. In a recent Football Morning in America piece, King made the case for several to pick Robinson, and Detroit’s name came up. Specifically, King pointed out that relative to cost for Robinson, his skills could be a big advantage that would pay off for the Lions.
“Go to mid-round, and pick 18, where Detroit would certainly be in contention to draft Robinson. His cap number in the first four years as the 18th pick: $2.8 million, $3.5 million, $4.2 million, $4.8 million … between 1 and 3 percent of your cap each year,” King wrote in the piece.
As King explained, for a team in the middle of the first-round, having Robinson as a dynamic playmaker could outweigh the questions of benefit relative to cost given he could make tons of impact plays for his new team.
“My point: If you only had Robinson for five years—four years plus exercising the fifth-year option as a first-round pick—and he played behind the kind of offensive line in, say, Philadelphia, are you telling me he wouldn’t be worth the pick?,” King wondered in the piece.
Detroit could offer Robinson a similar situation, with one of the top offensive lines in football. The Lions have names like Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow and Penei Sewell paving the way up front. As a result, their running game was 11th best in the NFL for 2022, putting up
Many have contended that a first-round pick on a running back is risky in this day in age, but Robinson could be a talent that is worth exploring as a potential exception to that rule this year.
As King points out, the lower cost of having such a dynamic playmaker in Detroit could combine to make Robinson a sneaky value for the Lions when all is said and done. For a handful of years, the Lions could have top-level playmaking at a very low cost.
With the team potentially needing another running back, Robinson could be in the mix for the Lions, and the team could be wise to scoop him up given all he could offer the team financially and otherwise.
Pair of New Mocks Send Bijan Robinson to Lions
So far, many of the mocks from around the league seem to agree with the notion that the Lions would score dramatically by adding Robinson into their already lethal offense.
A few latest iterations of mocks had the Lions picking up Robinson with the 18th selection in the draft. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. penciled Robinson in for the Lions at that spot, and liked his fit with the Lions in terms of what he could offer the running back room.
“People keep telling me Robinson won’t last into the 20s. He’s that good. It’s just really tough to find the perfect landing spot for him because teams finally understand the value of running backs in Round 1. So I’m going to follow Todd McShay’s lead and slot in Robinson to Detroit. Why? Because he’d be better in 2023 than D’Andre Swift, who is a free agent next year, and because he’d bring a receiving threat to the offense that free agent signing David Montgomery just doesn’t have. Robinson is a luxury pick, but the Lions really don’t have that many needs. They can afford a luxury selection here,” Kiper wrote within the mock.
In addition to Kiper, NFL Network and NFL.com analyst Charles Davis had the Lions going with Robinson in the 18 spot in a mock draft. As he explained in the mock, even though Robinson could go in the middle of round one, he is still a top-five prospect that could be a major value for the Lions.
“I have to believe the best running back in this year’s class will be considered multiple times in the first half of Round 1. He makes it to the Lions at No. 18 here, giving the Motor City two of the top five overall prospects on my colleague Daniel Jeremiah’s big board,” Davis said in the mock.
It’s clear there is more than one analyst that thinks Detroit should be looking at Robinson very closely in the draft process, and can see the value of the team adding him to the mix to serve as a dynamic weapon for the team.
Bijan Robinson’s College Stats & Highlights
No matter where he’s drafted, there’s no question that Robinson will offer the NFL plenty when he transitions to the league, especially given what he’s been able to do while playing for Texas in college.
Robinson was arguably the top running back in the 2022 season, posting a solid 1,580 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also has caught 19 passes for 314 yards and two scores, and had several electric plays to his credit.
As a whole, Robinson has totaled 3,410 yards and 60 touchdowns on the ground in college. That’s to go with 805 receiving yards and eight touchdowns in his career catching the ball. It’s clear he is a diverse weapon capable of stretching out a defense as he comes toward the league.
Robinson has been seen as a potential first-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and he’s a player who’s talent could lead him to be selected within the first half of the draft this year.
If the Lions make the move, it could have some major upside for the team for many different reasons heading in 2023.