Bijan Robinson hopes top-10 NFL draft picks on RBs becomes new trend - ESPN

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Bijan Robinson is hoping he is not the outlier, rather the beginning of a new trend.

When the Atlanta Falcons selected Robinson with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, the former Texas star became the first running back drafted the top 10 since Saquon Barkley went No. 2 overall in 2018.

Robinson and Detroit Lions first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs (No. 12 overall) became the first duo of running backs selected in the top 15 since 2017 — when Leonard Fournette went No. 4 to Jacksonville and Christian McCaffrey was taken No. 8 by Carolina.

It had been a while, and Robinson wants to make sure it won't be another six drafts until it happens again.

«I know the running back position in the top 10 is really, really rare,» Robinson said Friday. «But I mean, it's pretty cool to be a guy that can share that and to show the younger kids in the college football, the younger running backs that it's possible — you just got to do everything the right way and just be as effective as you can for their program.»

Running backs drafted inside the top 10 are uncommon in the modern era of football. Two running back selections inside the top 15 has been a bit more commonplace, as this marks the eighth time it's happened since 2000. The most notable ones may be the Fournette-McCaffrey combination and in 2007, when Adrian Peterson went No. 7 to Minnesota and Marshawn Lynch was picked 12th by Buffalo.

Three running backs have been drafted inside the top 15 on two separate occasions since 2000: in 2005, Ronnie Brown (No. 2, Miami), Cedric Benson (No. 4, Chicago) and Cadillac Williams (No. 5, Tampa Bay); and in 2000, Jamal Lewis (No. 5, Baltimore), Thomas Jones (No. 7, Arizona) and Ron Dayne (No. 11, Giants).

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