Projected Top-Five Pick Gives Highest Praise To Bijan Robinson With Surprising Answer About Alabama Opponents

Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. is projected to hear his name called within the first five picks of the 2023 NFL Draft in April. The 6-foot-4, 243-pounder was a two-time consensus All-American and won the Bronko Nagurski Award, given to the best defensive player in college football, twice.

Needless to say, Anderson is a beast. He had 204 total tackles in three years, 115 of them solo, with 34.5 sacks against a gauntlet SEC schedule.

Opposing offenses had to key on Anderson even more in 2022 after his career year in 2021. They had to work their game plans around him, or there was simply no hope of finding the end zone.

As a result, Anderson faced some of the biggest and baddest offensive lineman in the country, including Tennessee's Darnell Wright, who is expected to be drafted in the second round. And yet, none of them posed him the most trouble.

Anderson was asked about the toughest player he faced in college at the NFL Combine on Wednesday. Typically, a pass-rushing linebacker would point to an offensive lineman and/or an entire line.

Not Anderson. He went with Texas running back Bijan Robinson, who OutKick's Dan Zaksheshke has as the second player on his NFL Draft Big Board.

Bijan Robinson could be the first running back drafted in 2023.

The op back selected will either be him or Anderson's teammate, Jahmyr Gibbs— but likely Robinson. And potentially in the first round.

Texas played Alabama in Week 2. Robinson went for 63 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries, which was actually a slow day in the office. He averaged 131 yards per game during the regular season.

Even though Robinson had a less-than-average game against the Crimson Tide, it was still a strong outing. And apparently, it took a lot out of the defense to bring him down!

Anderson gave Robinson the highest possible praise on Wednesday, as no player, all season was more difficult to play against!