Bijan Robinson is the most coveted running back prospect in this year’s class and perhaps the most captivating talent since Adrian Peterson.

Leading up to the draft, scouts have speculated on Robinson’s best potential fits. The top landing spots? Atlanta, who holds the No. 8 overall pick, and Philadelphia, currently slated at No. 10 overall.

The Falcons currently have Cordarelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier (who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season as a fifth-round rookie) on the roster, but Bijan Robinson’s dynamic skillset would take Arthur Smith’s rush-heavy offense to new heights. With Kyle Pitts and Drake London on the outside, I could see Atlanta talking themselves into Robinson to aid the development of Desmond Ridder.

As for the Eagles, they just locked in Jalen Hurts through 2028 and have both star receivers (AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith) under contract until at least 2026. Their leading rusher from last season, Miles Sanders, signed a four-year deal with Carolina in free agency, leaving a void at running back.

The team has since signed ex-Seahawks RB Rashaad Penny, but his durability is questionable at best, and adding Robinson to the Eagles’ prolific offense would solidify them as title favorites. In fact, the idea of Robinson lined up behind Jalen Hurts has NFC teams quaking with fear:

“This is outside of the box for the Eagles, but when I talked to several teams over the weekend in the NFC, I’ll tell ya this, they do not want the Eagles to draft Bijan Robinson. They believe that would make this offense beyond scary. You saw the contract extension, the press conference with Jalen Hurts today, perhaps this takes some of the carries off of his workload with Bijan Robinson stepping in and being probably that No. 1 back right away.

Running back is a need for the Philadelphia Eagles in this draft. They did get Rashaad Penny, who’s had issues staying healthy, they do really like Kenneth Gainwell, but there are a lot of people around the league that believe this pick would change their offense.”

I’ll just say this. A couple NFC teams I talked to this weekend DO NOT want the #eagles to draft RB Bijan Robinson. The thought of that offense with his addition is scary in their eyes. My report on NFL NOW on @nflnetwork. pic.twitter.com/YrAJrthLiL

— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) April 24, 2023

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The Doak Walker Award winner has only held pre-draft visits with a handful of teams, including the Eagles. ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky’s recently asked Robinson which QB he’d most want to play with in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes aside.

His response: Jalen Hurts.

Bijan Robinson wants to play with JALEN HURTS. 👁️ #FlyEaglesFly | #HurtsSZN pic.twitter.com/gRML5MbLVI

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) April 25, 2023

The Eagles have only taken a running back in the first round twice since 1967 and have never done so in the 12 years that GM Howie Roseman has been in power. Roseman hinted toward potentially breaking that philosophy in this year’s draft:

“I think the most important thing when you’re picking in the first round, certainly when you’re picking 10, is that you get a unique player,” Roseman said last week.

“The thing that we try to do is we tried to find guys who have unique traits that can make a difference in the game, and I think when you look at the best players on our team, they all have a unique skill set. They all have tools in their body that allow them to compete at the highest level and to play at a Pro Bowl, all-pro level to change games.

I think what you try to balance in this is obviously you want to evaluate the tape and you want the tape to be really good, but you want guys who have tools in their body to develop into elite players.”

Robinson has 4.4 speed, rushed for over 1,500 yards last season, and possesses a rare blend of power, explosiveness, and pass-catching ability. If that doesn’t sound like a ‘unique player,’ I’m not sure what does.

We’ll see if he’s unique enough for Philly to draft him on Thursday night.

“Eagles was an amazing visit,” Bijan said during his appearance on NFL NOW. “Coaches to GM, the janitor, the staff. Everyone there was just amazing. Just building those relationships throughout the draft process with those guys has been awesome.”

Bijan Robinson is the best RB prospect since _____

📺: 2023 #NFLDraft — Starts Thursday, April 27 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
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— NFL (@NFL) April 13, 2023

Mandatory Credit: Getty Images