Mock Draft season is in full swing, and nobody knows exactly what the Los Angeles Chargers will do. With a relatively small amount of team needs on the roster, the Chargers are free to pick the best player available and in the Mike Kashuba’s latest mock draft, that player is Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson.
Chargers Select Bijan Robinson in NFL Mock Draft
Prospect Evaluation
Based on talent and nothing else, there is a strong case to be made that Bijan Robinson is the best player in this draft class. Blessed with incredible size, strength, and vision, the running back broke out as a true freshman and never stopped dominating when on the field.
From a film standpoint, Bijan Robinson is the best prospect I can remember at the running back position, and the only player that comes close is Saquon Barkley. The Texas product boasts unmatched speed in the open field complemented by the ability to beat defenses in every way imaginable. Watching defenders trying to tackle him is like watching flies try to stop an 18-wheeler on the highway, and to top it all off, if he declared as a wide receiver, he’d probably be a Day 2 pick.
I don’t understand how you’re supposed to tackle Bijan Robinson.
Bijan breaks through everything. With ease. He’s insane. pic.twitter.com/WTdhEEmYJJ
— Willie Lutz (@willie_lutz) February 11, 2023
The analytics tells a similar story. While there is no such thing as a can’t-miss prospect, Robinson is as close as you can get. His breakout age and college dominator are both elite, and his efficiency was ridiculous. The next two most important factors in projecting a running back’s success are athletic testing and draft capital. Obviously, it’s too early to officially have those numbers, but everyone expects elite testing at the NFL Combine and a first-round selection.
Ultimately, this is one long way of saying that Bijan Robinson is already a star player that should be able to contribute right out of the gate. Running backs aren’t nearly as important as they used to be, and that lack of positional importance is the only reason that a guy like Bijan Robinson could still be on the board when the Chargers are on the clock.
How Bijan Robinson Fits the Chargers
Bijan Robinson is a great player, but the Chargers already have a great running back in Austin Ekeler. While Ekeler can still play at a high level, Los Angeles needs to acknowledge that the former undrafted free agent is closer to the end of his career than the beginning. The Western State product will be 28 next season, and running back production tends to fall off following their age-27 season. Perhaps Ekeler can last a little bit longer since he didn’t receive a large workload until 2019, but the fact remains that he is on borrowed time.
In the short term, Ekeler and Robinson can combine to form perhaps the most lethal backfield in football. Robinson can handle most of the early-down work, while Ekeler takes over in passing situations. Alternatively, both players have the ability to play all three downs, so perhaps the Chargers could play the running backs on alternating drives to help keep them fresh.
After a year or two of splitting snaps with Ekeler, the Chargers will officially turn the backfield over to Robinson. Once given full control of the backfield, the Texas product will be the best running back the Chargers have had since Ladanian Tomlinson.
Main Photo: Aaron E. Martinez – USA Today Sports
