Texas RB Bijan Robinson Compares His Style to Barry Sanders Ahead of 2023 NFL Draft

Texas running back Bijan Robinson told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday that his knee-bending style when rushing is akin to what legendary Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders did for the Detroit Lions.

"I'm a knee-bender when I run the ball, and another guy who was a knee-bender was Barry Sanders,'' Robinson said, per ESPN's Jeff Legwold.

"To try to redirect, to try to be as low to the ground as you can and understand you've got to feel defenders and read their shoulders and read angles, to try to break as many tackles as you can. ... I take pride in that.

"... I'm trying to dissect it, trying to create open holes, create lanes for myself no matter what it is, eight in the box, nine in the box, seven in the box, I'm just trying always to find ways.''

Robinson is a huge fan of Sanders' game and told reporters he watches tape of him "every other day."

The unquestioned top running back prospect in this year's draft has received some complimentary pro comparisons thus far.

Derrik Klassen of Bleacher Report compared Robinson, who is No. 4 overall on the B/R NFL Scouting Department's 2023 prospect list, to a "supercharged" Breece Hall, the New York Jets rookie who was well on his way to Associated Press Rookie of the Year honors before suffering a torn ACL midseason.

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared him to reigning league rushing leader Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Ex-NFL scout Bryan Broaddus even compared Robinson to Sanders back in December.

Robinson rushed for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns on 258 carries (6.1 YPC) and added 19 receptions for 314 yards and two scores last year.

It wouldn't be a big surprise to see him carry over similar production in the NFL, where he can end up being one of the league's next great running backs.