The Falcons had one of the best rushing attacks in football in 2022, so when they drafted Bijan Robinson it was met with skepticism.
Tyler Allgeier was coming off a great rookie campaign in which he broke the franchise’s rookie record. So, why make Robinson the highest drafted running back since Saquon Barkley?
Well, Arthur Smith was supposed to utilize Robinson as an offensive weapon, not just a running back. The Falcons rushing attack regressed, and at most, Robinson didn’t meet expectations.
His 4.6 yards per carry was tied for 11th in the NFL. 976 rushing yards on just 214 carries is nothing to scoff at, but the expectations were greater than that, and maybe they were a bit unfair. The 58 receptions for 487 yards were hardly spectacular.
Overall, though, it was a fine rookie season for Bijan Robinson, but it was his counterpart that made PFF’s list of highest-graded running backs. In fact, Allgeier was among the 10 highest-graded players at his position.
7. Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons: 82.6
Allgeier had a solid season making the most of his opportunities with the Falcons, and while his 3.7 yards per carry average doesn’t crack the top 40 at the position, he averaged 3.0 yards after contact per carry and forced 39 missed tackles on carries.
Somehow, Allgeier was well regarded among Pro Football Focus, but the production undoubtedly regressed.
In his rookie season, he put up 4.9 yards per carry and a rookie record 1,035 rushing yards, but those numbers dipped significantly while only receiving 22 fewer touches.
Much of that can be attributed to the overall shortcomings of the offense, though. Allgeier, unlike Robinson, isn’t able to make defenders miss in a phonebooth.
It’s still a bit surprising that Atlanta’s 2022 fifth-round pick graded out higher than the 2023 8th overall pick.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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