The Lions drafted running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of Alabama 12th in the 2023 NFL draft.
Gibbs came off the board much earlier than many mock drafts projected. He’s viewed as the second-best running back prospect in the class — behind Bijan Robinson, who went eighth — and Detroit selected him with the first of its two first-round picks after trading down from No. 6 with the Texans.
The Lions now have a rather crowded backfield with 2020 second-round pick D’Andre Swift, offseason addition David Montgomery and Gibbs all competing for touches. This is the same draft slot where Detroit traded up for wide receiver Jameson Williams a year ago, which was also a shocking move to acquire a Crimson Tide speedster.
Gibbs left Georgia Tech for the Crimson Tide and had the best season of his college career in the SEC. He was Bryce Young’s favorite target, catching a team-high 44 passes for 444 yards and three scores, and he ran for better than six yards per carry as the lead back.
Gibbs profiles as a dangerous pass-catching threat out of the backfield who also has big-play ability as a rusher. His size (5’9”, 199 pounds) could be a concern but he has breakaway speed, which he put on display at the combine when he ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash.
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Swift, like Gibbs, is a proficient pass-catching back but he’s missed at least three games in each of his first three years in the league. Jamaal Williams’s departure vacated 274 touches, so there’s a lot of work to be re-distributed in this backfield to the two newcomers. Gibbs will benefit from playing behind one of the better offensive lines in the NFL.
It’s difficult to project what the workload for Gibbs will look like as he vies for touches with Swift and Montgomery, but the draft capital the Lions spent to acquire him indicates he will be a big part of the offense going forward.
