New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu probably isn’t looking forward to facing Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson twice next season.

During a recent appearance on The Green Light Podcast with Chris Long, Mathieu raved about Robinson and feels that with better usage, he will be a star.

“He’s going to be special,” Mathieu said. “Marshall Faulk, you know. Edgerrin James, you know what I mean? Like, LaDainian Tomlinson, you know? And I didn’t think the Falcons really used him as good as they should have last year, but, man, he’s going to be good. He’s going to be real good.”

Robinson, who played his collegiate football at the University of Texas, was selected by the Falcons with the eighth overall pick of the NFL Draft last spring.

The 22-year-old enjoyed an impressive rookie campaign, playing in every game and registering 976 yards and four touchdowns on the ground while averaging 4.6 yards per carry. In addition, he hauled in 58 receptions for 487 yards and four scores.

Atlanta was criticized during the year for its strange utilization of Robinson, like in Week 7 when he carried the ball just one time. However, that was under head coach Arthur Smith, whom the Falcons fired after the season. Perhaps new coach Raheem Morris will find a better way to make use of the young halfback.

Plus, Atlanta will have a new-look offense in general in 2024 after signing Kirk Cousins in free agency, so Robinson may have a much bigger opportunity to shine next season.

Bijan Robinson and the Falcons went 7-10 this past year, but they were in contention for the NFC South division title right up until the last couple of weeks of the season.

Meanwhile, Tyrann Mathieu’s Saints went 9-8 and lost the division to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by way of the tiebreaker.

Want the latest NFL analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click here. Interested in reading storylines and analysis about the NBA? Check out our partner NBA Analysis Network.