Daniel Jeremiah says Chicago Bears are in play for RB Bijan Robinson

Chicago Bears fans who hope GM Ryan Poles will spend the team’s first-round pick on a premium position better buckle up. According to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, the Bears are in the mix to select Texas running back Bijan Robinson at No. 9.

“Somebody told me don’t sleep on Bijan (Robinson) with (the Bears),” Jeremiah said on Peter Schrager’s podcast, The Season. “Even though they have some backs they can line up and play with, they don’t have anyone like (Robinson). That would be one I wouldn’t sleep on with them.”

Robinson was one of the four players I said would be an ideal pick for the Chicago Bears in Round 1, so it wouldn’t shock me if Poles pulls the trigger on the do-it-all running back.

Sure, starting running backs can be found in the middle rounds of the NFL Draft. And with the pounding they take early in their careers, the lifespan of an early-round running back is short. The goal for every GM is to land a multiple-contract player in the first round, a running back inherently isn’t that.

But not every running back can do what Bijan Robinson does.

Bijan Robinson can do it all

Few players at the position offer his blend of speed, power, wiggle, and receiving ability. He can rip off a field-flipping run as easily as a short-yardage first down. Robinson is an effortless route-runner and a powerful pass-protector. He’d level up QB Justin Fields beyond any possible offseason acquisition the Chicago Bears could’ve or will make. And if the goal of the 2023 offseason is truly about giving Fields his best chance to succeed, Robinson makes sense.

Robinson ran for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2022. He checked in at 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds at the NFL Combine and clocked a 4.46 40-yard dash.

The 2023 NFL Draft isn’t top-heavy. Indeed, the list of “blue players” is short. Bijan Robinson is one of them, however, and if Poles stays true to his big board, he could be lining up behind Justin Fields in 2023.