Kyle Smith, the Falcons’ vice president of player personnel, said it was an easy decision for the franchise to take running back Bijan Robinson over former Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the eighth overall pick in the NFL draft.
The move continued a dubious streak in franchise history dating to its inception. The Falcons, since their first draft in 1966, have never taken a player from the University of Georgia in the first round of the draft.
Robinson, who played at Texas, was considered the second-best player in the draft, while Carter, was considered the top talent in the draft by some analysts. However, Carter’s involvement in the Jan. 15 crash that caused two fatalities and his work ethic led to him being drafted ninth overall by the Eagles.
“You talk about I guess conventional wisdom on certain position that you take and you don’t take, how to build a team,” Smith said in a virtual interview Wednesday. “How not to build a team. I think what we’ve always talk about, since we’ve been here, and throughout our careers at other places, there is a million ways to do it.
“The thing that we focus on the most is that, ‘it ain’t about what, it’s about who.’ When it comes to Bijan the player, the skill set, the versatility. The impact as a player and as a person, it was an easy pick. It really was. The amount of work that went into it. The conviction that we had from Day 1 to right on the clock, it was an easy pick.”
Falcons coach Arthur Smith and several team scouts were in attendance at Carter’s Pro Day in Athens. Carter was nine pounds heavier than he was at the NFL combine and could not finish the workout. The Falcons also had Carter visit the team’s facilities.
But the Falcons fell in love with Robinson, which featured a private workout in Austin, Texas.
“The first thing that pops when you’re doing Bijan is his runs skills,” Kyle Smith said. “His instincts. (He’s) natural. The vision. His cutability. He’s got strength. He can do it all. He’s a do-it-all-type of back. Then as an evaluator, that’s the first thing that you’re watching, the runner.”
Once the evaluation of the talent was complete, the Falcons had to determine how he would fit into the team.
“You’re thinking about coach Smith, and you’re thinking about (offensive coordinator) Dave Ragone and how their minds work in terms of utilizing different weapons and skill sets,” Kyle Smith said. “Then you start getting excited about the potential of (running back) Tyler Allgeier and what he showed. CP (Cordarrelle Patterson), Avery (Williams), Kyle Pitts and Drake London. So, you’re mind starts going because of the different things that Bijan can do. He’s an outstanding runner.”
The Falcons also like his versatility.
“It’s every position that you put him in, (he) can (have) an impact,” Smith said. “Not just impact from production, but impact on how that other team ... what goes into their mindset going into that week and how we are going to defend different formations. Different personnel packages that we can use with all of these players that we have.”
Before taking Robinson, the Falcons added Pitts with the fourth overall pick in the 2021 draft and London with the eighth pick in the 2022 draft.
“That’s really what went into it,” Smith said. “The more you start talking about it … and then when we got the coaching staff involved (after the season) and that vision that you have back in October going to a live game, and you’re hearing our coaches talk it out, that’s when the excitement comes of what this could be.”
Also, for the third consecutive draft, the Falcons passed on a quarterback in the first round.
In 2021, they could have taken Justin Fields or Mac Jones. In 2022, they could have taken Kenny Pickett. The Falcons took Desmond Ridder (74th overall) in the third round. He was the second quarterback taken.
In this draft, they passed on Kentucky’s Will Levis, who went 33rd overall to Tennessee, and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, who went 68th to Detroit.
In the fourth round, the Falcons took smallish cornerback Clark Phillips III with the 113th pick and passed on Fresno State quarterback Jake Haener and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett. Haener went to the Saints with the 127th pick and Bennett went to the Rams with the 128th pick.
So, the Falcons are all-in on Ridder, who went 2-2 in four starts last season. They also signed Taylor Heinicke in free agency to back up Ridder.
“We’re excited about Desmond moving forward,” Smith said. “What he did at the end of the year and getting some of that experience at the back half (last four games) of the year there. But with Des, the No. 1 thing that sticks out is the leadership.”
The Falcons were more than enthralled with Ridder’s intangibles.
“When you watch him, he’s got good arm strength,” Smith said. “He’s got good accuracy. He can get out of the pocket. He’s got all of those things, and he’s got things he needs to work on. Right, he needs to get better as all of our players.
“Those were the things that kind of jumped out right away were the intangible pieces along with the physical skills to develop. But if you don’t have that neck up, it’s really hard. It’s really hard in this league, and he’s got it, neck up.”
So, for the Falcons, they don’t think they took a running back too high in the draft.
“Whatever position it is, you can’t take a guard in the top 15?” Smith said. “Well, who’s the guard? You should take a QB in the top 10 ... take one in the top 5 or top 10, if you’re ever there. Well, who is it? That’s the question.
“That’s what we always go back to. That’s what Bijan or any of the player that we’ve taken, the ‘who’ is what we believed in and feel really good about.”
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