Falcons running back Bijan Robinson opens as betting favorite in 2023 NFL Offensive Rookie of Year odds
The last running back to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year was Saquon Barkley in 2018 with the New York Giants. Entering Round 1 of last night's 2023 NFL Draft, Barkley had also been the last running back chosen in the top 10 of any draft. That change Thursday night when former University of Texas star Bijan Robinson was selected No. 8 overall by the Atlanta Falcons. He's now the +300 favorite at DraftKings to win OROY honors this coming season – already down from an open of +450.
It was a wild, unpredictable first round in Kansas City, but Robinson going to Atlanta was chalk from a betting perspective. DK listed the Falcons as +150 favorites to be the team to pick Robinson. That they took a defensive lineman/edge rusher with their initial pick was a slight -115 favorite, with running back at +150.
Robinson might be the best player at his position in the 2023 draft, but running backs have been devalued in the NFL these days. Some on the drafts telecasts on Thursday liked the pick and others ripped it.
The critics could argue that running back was far from a position of need for Atlanta. Tyler Allgeier, a 2022 fifth-round pick out of BYU, took over as the featured back later in the season and finished with 210 carries for 1,035 yards, a franchise rookie record, and three scores. Cordarrelle Patterson, who rushed for nearly 700 yards and eight scores in 13 games, is also back.
If Robinson has to share carries with those players, it would obviously be tougher to win OROY. Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said Robinson is "more than a running back."
"He's an impact football player," Smith said. "We just feel he's an explosive weapon. He's a home run hitter however he gets the football in his hands."
Smith added that the team believes Robinson complements the more bruising style of Allgeier, who is still "a very important part of this offense." Robinson was the seventh running back selected by the Falcons in the first round, and the first since T.J. Duckett in 2002. Atlanta's lone OROY winner was quarterback Matt Ryan, the No. 3 pick in 2008.
DraftKings favorites to win 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year
- Bijan Robinson +300
- Bryce Young +475
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba +650
- CJ Stroud +700
- Jahymr Gibbs +850
- Anthony Richardson +1200
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