Bijan Robinson knows the weight that No. 7 carries for the Atlanta Falcons and almost did not request to have the jersey number, which represents wholeness and completeness.
“It’s a Biblical number, and I think that’s why I chose it most importantly,” he told the media Friday after the rookie camp. “… When I was thinking about the number, I was like, ‘Agh, I don’t know if I should do it,’ ’cause there’s some good players that wore it.”
But he said that he got the blessing from Falcons icon Michael Vick to become the ninth player in the franchise to don the number. Kicker Younghoe Koo wore no. 7 the past four seasons and he made his own impact on the team but was the only player to wear the number since the famous quarterback.
“When I asked Koo if I could wear it, he was super cool about it. … Then the coaches asked Vick if I could wear it and he was super excited about it,” Robinson, who wore No. 5 at Texas, continued. “But I think it’s pretty cool to continue on such a great number.”
The Falcons have never retired a number.
Bijan Robinson speaks on Arthur Smith utilizing his skills
Robinson, who signed his rookie contract earlier on Friday, also spoke on his mindset coming into rookie camp. He explained that, despite being the No. 8 overall pick in the draft, he sees practice as a level playing field. He believes he has to prove himself to his coaches and teammates just like any other player.
He was asked specifically about head coach Arthur Smith, who was offensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans before joining the Falcons ahead of the 2021 season.
“First practice today, he uses me everywhere from receiver to running back. … He lets me do my abilities and skillset the right way, whether that’s catching the ball, running routes, obviously running the football, blocking, doing it all, Robinson said. “He told me, ‘I’ma coach you hard.’ I don’t expect anything less because I need him.
“He has a plan for me and his coaching style making sure that I’m doing the right thing on the field and always pushing myself to new limits, new heights. I gotta match that and obviously come 50/50 with him and give great effort. … He’s gonna coach me hard and I don’t expect nothing less ’cause we’re all trying to do something big here and that’s what’s gotta happen in order to do that.”
The Falcons went 7-10 last season and missed the playoffs for the fifth straight year. They’ve recently drafted tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Drake London as they seek to build their offense. Robinson is joining a running back room where Tyler Allgeier had a 1,000-yard season last year and Cordarrelle Patterson added 695 yards and eight touchdowns. The former Longhorn is fourth all-time in program history with 3,410 rushing yards, 1,580 of which came in his final season.
“Obviously, I have expectations, but for me, it’s just another opportunity to be the best player I can be,” he said. “… If I just focus on being a good teammate and understanding that to bring my expertise and my skillset to this offense, then I think everything will take care of itself.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Falcons’ Bijan Robinson got Michael Vick’s blessing to wear No. 7