Atlanta Falcons go RB in 2023 Re-Draft, Just Not Bijan Robinson

The Atlanta Falcons were widely criticized for taking Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 pick in the NFL Draft. Bleacher Report did a do-over.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs went No. 12 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft after Bijan Robinson went No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Carolina Panthers made news again this week when they announced they were benching 2023 No. overall pick Bryce Young. It was a costly pick for the Atlanta Falcons' NFC South rival as they gave up a haul to move up to No. 1.

Carolina’s 2025 second-round pick still is going to Chicago as the final piece of the Bryce Young trade, which went like this:

Bears received:
🏈 WR DJ Moore
🏈 2023 first-round pick (OT Darnell Wright)
🏈 2023 second-round pick (CB Tyrique Stevenson)
🏈 2024 first-round pick…

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 16, 2024

In return for the rights to draft Young, the Chicago Bears received wide receiver DJ Moore, two first-round picks (including 2024 No. 1 overall) and two second-round picks.

With the Houston Texans taking C.J. Stroud with the very next pick, it put extra scrutiny on the Panthers for what looks like a Sam Bowie situation (OK, that might be going too far).

Because hindsight drafting is always a fun exercise, Bleacher Report (B/R) re-did the 2023 draft after the news broke of Young's benching. Not surprisingly, the Panthers took Stroud when presented a do-over.

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The Detroit Lions had the No. 6 pick on draft day, but they traded back, and the Cardinals selected offensive tackle Paris Johnson. With draft-day trades off the table on the re-draft, the Lions took Bijan Robinson at No. 6.

"There's no guarantee that Robinson would be more productive in Detroit's offense than Jahmyr Gibbs has been, but he did top 1,400 scrimmage yards for an underwhelming Atlanta Falcons team as a rookie," wrote Kristopher Knox on B/R. By grabbing him, the Lions ensure that they don't miss out on a running back a few spots later."

Kudos to Knox for pointing out that Robinson finished No. 10 in yards from scrimmage as a rookie. With all of the fuss about Robinson's under-use in 2023, very few people realize he cracked the top 10.

With Robinson off table, Knox has the Falcons stick with running back and taking Gibbs who went to the Lions at No.12 overall orginally.

"This is too early for the Falcons to take a quarterback, and they ultimately end up with both Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. in 2024," wrote Knox. "They stick with their original plan to gut it out with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke in 2023 and grab a centerpiece running back. With Robinson off the board, the Falcons snap up Gibbs, who was a rookie Pro Bowler, and move along without missing much of a beat."

Other players that make sense after Robinson include cornerback Christian Gonzalez who went No. 17 to the Patriots and edge rusher Will McDonald who went No. 15 to the Jets.

The Falcons were widely ridiculed for taking a non-premium position at No. 8 when they selected Robinson. ESPN Analytics writer Seth Walder went as far as to call the pick "inexplicable."

So it's interesting that Knox would double down with Gibbs on a re-draft. Looking at the options behind the Falcons' No. 8 pick, there's a lot of wide receivers and offensive linemen. The Falcons had just used their previous top-10 picks on pass catchers Kyle Pitts and Drake London in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Another wide receiver might have been a tough sell in 2023. It was widely suggested the Falcons could shore up the left guard position with a versatile offensive lineman at No. 8, but Atlanta filled that spot in the second round with Matthew Bergeron.

It wasn't considered an overly-strong draft in 2023, but the Falcons came away with Robinson and Bergeron along with Zach Harrison (3rd), Clark Phillips (4th) and DeMarcco Hellams (7th). Those are solid selections on five of Atlanta's six picks that year.