Is Bijan Robinson 'unique player' Eagles covet with No. 10 pick? Howie Roseman's intriguing answer opens door

Roseman didn't say no when the subject of Bijan Robinson was brought up

Howie Roseman is never going to tip his hand on what the Philadelphia Eagles plan to do in the NFL Draft, even with the unique opportunity he presented the franchise with a year ago. The Eagles are the first team since the 2008 New England Patriots to make the Super Bowl and have a top-10 pick at their disposal in the following season's NFL Draft, a prime selection to make their loaded roster even better.

The No. 10 pick is the "luxury" pick for Philadelphia in this draft, the first of two picks on Day 1. What the Eagles will do with the No. 10 selection remains a mystery, which makes this draft even more intriguing. 

Having a running back like Bijan Robinson available for the Eagles at No. 10 is a real possibility. Forget the Eagles having never drafted a running back in the first round under Roseman (and not selecting one that early in the draft since 1986) and the franchise's conventional way of thinking. 

Roseman had a chance to dismiss taking a running back in Round 1. He didn't exactly do that. 

"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. "I think that there are so few unique players in any draft that if you start picking by position and not based on the quality of the talent, then you really get a chance -- so if you pick by position and you pick a player who's not any good, then it's not a good pick anyway."

Is Robinson the "unique player" Roseman is talking about? Only Roseman and the Eagles' brain trust know where the franchise is leaning come Thursday, yet Robinson is projected to be the best running back coming into the draft in years. No running back has been taken in the top 20 of the draft since Saquon Barkley in 2018, a streak Robinson is likely to break. 

Robinson's explosiveness and pass-catching ability out of the backfield make him another dynamic playmaker. Imagine Robinson in an offense with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. He would also be running behind the Eagles' offensive line, arguably the best in the NFL and would be the No. 1 running back on the league's No. 1 rushing attack over the last two years. 

Conventional wisdom suggests the Eagles won't draft Robinson at No. 10. The NFL has certainly trended in a direction the Eagles have been leaning for nearly four decades. 

The Eagles also don't have top-10 picks often. Corey Simon, Lane Johnson, Carson Wentz, and Smith have been the only top-10 picks for the franchise since 2000. This is a rare opportunity for the Eagles, which may have them go against the grain and take that "unique player."

Come Thursday, the franchise will determine if Robinson fits that mold. 

"We understand how important it is to get this right, and how do you get it right is you make sure you get a unique player," Roseman said. "I think that if you start saying, 'Hey, we can only get a unique player, but it's got to be this position,' you really narrow your options right there. 

"So just trying to be as open minded as possible about what that looks like and making sure that whoever we pick is somebody that we think can really impact the game."