The Atlanta Falcons took Bijan Robinson with their first-round pick. This was an inexcusable selection and a massive mistake for a rebuilding team. I just don’t understand what the Falcons’ front office was thinking here.
The last thing they needed on their roster was a running back, especially with their top 10 selection. The Falcons are a couple of years removed from cutting ties with Matt Ryan and sending him to the Indianapolis Colts, ending an era.
The Arthur Smith/Terry Fontenot brainpower has largely done a solid job building up this roster that once was the worst in the NFL.
They had a top 10 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but for some inexcusable reason, they decided to take Bijan Robinson, a running back from Texas. This was a horridly bad selection and one that makes no sense to me.
I think there were countless better options for the Falcons to consider.
Atlanta Falcons made a huge mistake in the 2023 NFL Draft
Their first option could have been to trade down, perhaps somewhere in the teens. It’s not known whether or not there was a team wanting to jump into the top 10 or if the Falcons even took a phone call on that possibility, but moving down in the draft usually nets teams draft capital, which is always a good thing.
GM Terry Fontenot did invest in the defense this offseason, but their defensive line is old and lacks depth. Calais Campbell, David Onyemata, and Grady Jarrett are all at least 30 years old and there really isn’t much to write home behind them.
Taking an EDGE rusher or even someone like Jalen Carter would have been a monumentally better decision.
Their secondary is a bit improved with the additions of Jessie Bates III and Jeff Okudah, but I think taking a cornerback could have been justified here as well. Okudah has not found his footing in the NFL and you never truly know what could happen between the Atlanta Falcons and a potential long-term contract with AJ Terrell.
Perhaps offensive line could have been an option as well. They did take Matthew Bergeron in the second round, so it’s clear they wanted to bring a rather high-ranking OL prospect in the building, but why not at eighth overall? They could have landed on someone like Peter Skoronski, who could have been a day-one starter at tackle or even kicked inside, as outside of Chris Lindstrom, the Falcons could use a boost there.
My point here is that Bijan Robinson going to this team specifically doesn’t make much sense to me. They had a 1,000-yard rookie rusher in Tyler Allgeier in 2022 and he now looks like a distant RB2.
This was a misstep by Atlanta.