Chargers News: LA In Top 3 Odds to Land Bijan Robinson
University of Texas at Austin prospect Bijan Robinson, a unanimous All-American and the Doak Walker Award honoree (given to the best NCAA running back of the year) during his 2022 junior season, is handily the best player at his position in this year's draft. He's ranked fourth overall among ESPN expert Todd McShay's top 32 draft hopefuls list, and ninth on Mel Kiper's ESPN Big Board.
Because he's a running back, and because running backs have a very short shelf life relative to the other top offensive positions in the game, he could very well be available by the time your Los Angeles Chargers on the board in the 2023 draft.
The Chargers currently possess the No. 21 pick in the first round of this year's NFL Draft, set to kick off in Kansas City from April 27th-29th.
Per Mike Tanier of Football Outsiders, the Chargers have the third-best odds (+600) to select the six-foot Longhorn.
Would Robinson be a good fit in LA?
If he's as good as advertised, the Bolts could certainly use the help.
During his final season at Texas, Robinson notched 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Last season, despite a stellar 10-7 record and an AFC wild card playoff berth, the team struggled in the rush game. Los Angeles ranked 30th (out of 32 clubs) in total rushing yards with 1,524. LA also ranked 30th in rushing yards per carry (3.77) and per game game (89.6).
The Chargers' best incumbent running back, Austin Ekeler, paced the NFL with 18 total scores last year. His 107 receptions in 2022 also set a Chargers single-season record.
But he didn't have much help. Joshua Kelley, the team's No. 2 running back, missed four games midseason but overall showed plenty of promise in his third year as a pro. Isaiah Spiller, a rookie last season, was only healthy for six games. Larry Rountree III is the team's other current rostered RB.
Conversely, thanks to the play of top wide receivers Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter, LA's 4,791 total receiving yards represent the third-most in the NFL last season -- although their receiving corps didn't cover a ton of ground, as their 9.9 yards per reception ranked just 28th in the league. Carter left for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, but the other three remain under contract.
Beyond the starry passing game of young quarterback Justin Herbert, the Chargers' biggest attribute last season was handily its defense. The team's only two Pro Bowlers were both on that side of the pigskin, in strong safety Derwin James and veteran offensive linebacker Khalil Mack.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN posits that, unless a club's front office is wholly convinced Robinson can become a Hall of Famer (which is certainly possible), it might behoove the NFL to wait until the second round to select the former Longhorn. Even though he is the best running back prospect in his class, Barnwell believes selecting a player at another position might just make more fiscal sense, from a risk-aversion perspective. LA possesses the 54th pick in the second round, which certainly seems like it would be too late to realistically acquire Robinson.
