The 2023 NFL Draft will open Thursday.

Multiple assumptions have circulated for every team, but the main concern locally is who the Philadelphia Eagles should select with the 10th overall pick. 

One name that draws much attention is University of Texas running back Bijan Robinson. There should not be any doubt that Robinson is a top-10 talent. In fact, Robinson might just be a threat and an immediate help for almost any team in the league.

If the Eagles drafted him, could you just imagine how much more explosive this offense could become? Robinson, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert? Plus him running behind this line?? Shivers!!!

But does that mean the Eagles should select him?

We all know about running backs, especially those bell cow backs— they are a dime a dozen. I am not saying that an elite running back is not worth it, especially in the case of Robinson. I think he’s worth the hype. But after a few years, those top running backs sometimes fall off. 

Does it make sense to select a running back that high when, technically, you might just have them at 100% health or productivity for just three or four seasons? And top running backs do not necessarily guarantee a Super Bowl. Just look at running backs like Christian Mccaffrey, Saquan Barkley or Ezikel Elliott. All first- round picks, but have they done anything besides making the stat sheet look pretty?

Also… Elliot was cut and McCaffrey was traded. Both wasted picks, and Barkley is not too far behind.

I don’t know about you, but I desperately want a Super Bowl title, especially after that defensive atrocity in the championship this past season. I want redemption, and drafting Robinson will not totally help. Why? The Eagles offense is already stacked and is the last thing to worry about. Besides losing Miles Sanders, the offensive unit is basically the same. There’s no doubt the offense will be just as dangerous and dominant as it was this year.

Plus, did you know the Eagles haven’t drafted a running back in the first round since Keith Byars in 1986. Since Howie Roseman became the Eagles’ General Manager in 2010, the have selected just eight running backs in the draft— Sanders was a second-round selection and the others were drafted in the fourth round or later. 

The Eagles operate with a running back committee, and have worked. It was that way when they captured the Super Bowl title in 2017. It was that way this previous season. It is that way now, otherwise they would have kept and paid Sanders. Instead, the Eagles are paying their four running backs combined less than Sanders was given in Carolina. Why would the Eagles take a running back with the 10th pick, who eventually you would have to pay. The math doesn’t add up. 

If the Roseman and Eagles select Robinson, the move would be surprising. You might just have Robinson at full health/productiveness for just three or four years, especially with the injuries these four-down backs get because of overusage… I revert back to McCaffrey. 

Again, it would be awesome to have Robinson in this offense. But the fun would not be as long as drafting someone like Alabama’s Brian Branch, who could be the best safety in the class. The Eagles have never drafted a safety in the first round, so why not this year? After losing C.J. Gardner Johnson, this is a position of need. Branch is definitely a first-round talent. 

There is obviously Jalen Carter. The Eagles may have to trade up to get him, but can you imagine the depth he would add? Having him, Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean in the front seven for the foreseeable future? That would be scary. Carter is a better pick than Robinson, in terms of longevity. 

There are options for running backs later in the draft, like Zach Charbonnet (UCLA), Devon Achane, (Texas A&M), Tank Bigsby (Auburn) and much more. Why draft Robinson when the biggest need right now is defense? 

I wouldn’t be totally mad with drafting Robinson. It’s just, right now, the Eagles need to stack up on defense. For all I care, draft another offensive lineman. Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, who knows how long they have left. Kelce is aging, and Johnson is piling up the injuries.

I want to get back to the Super Bowl, and I think the offense is fine. Kenny Gainwell deserves this chance and, as long as Rashad Penny can stay healthy, he will make an impact. 

The bottom line is defense or an offensive lineman should be the top priority in the first round, and I think Howie Rosemsn knows that. Drafting a running back in the first round is not in his wheelhouse. Hopefully he makes the right decision Thursday.

We discussed this topic on this week’s podcast, listen here for more.