Earlier this week, ESPN came out with their annual "watchability" rankings, where they list all 32 NFL teams by how entertaining they are to watch. Somehow the Atlanta Falcons only came in at No. 28 on their list, despite having one of the most thrilling athletes on the planet today on their roster.
That would be superstar running back Bijan Robinson, who is must-see-TV all on his own. At least some folks still recognize the fact that Robinson makes the Falcons a draw no matter how bad their quarterback situation might be.
According to Mike Jones at The Athletic, Bijan is the ninth-most intriguing figure in the NFL out of 26 going into the new season.
"In Year 3, Robinson dominated by producing 1,478 rushing yards and 820 receiving yards to lead
all offensive players with 2,298 all-purpose yards. The Falcons rewarded him with a handsome three-year extension worth $66.75 million, including $51.6 million guaranteed. With uncertainty at quarterback, look for new coach Kevin Stefanski to lean heavily on Robinson yet again. Could he become the NFL’s first 1,500-yard rusher/1,000-yard receiver?"
Robinson is more than just a supremely-talented running back. His extremely rare athleticism gives him the potential to become a pop culture figure, like Bo Jackson in his prime, or even Deion Sanders or Michael Vick.
As far as his numbers go, 1,500 rushing and 1,000 receiving yards may actually be selling Robinson short. If the Falcons don't get a legitimate WR2 to step up behind Drake London, Robinson will not only carry a heavier rushing load, he may end up leading the team in targets (he was only 15 behind Kyle Pitts last season).
We believe Robinson is more than capable of approaching 1,800 rushing yards and 1,200 receiving yards for the season - which would shatter Chris Johnson's yards from scrimmage record set in 2009 (2,509).
Buckle up!
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons superstar ranked among 10 most-intriguing figures in NFL
