Jahmyr Gibbs Must Quickly Deliver In Varied Role For The Detroit Lions

It was obvious the Detroit Lions had big plans for Jahmyr Gibbs when they made the eyebrow-raising decision to select the Alabama running back with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 draft.

The scale of those plans has already become apparent during the Lions’ offseason program.

Per Colton Pouncey of The Athletic, the Lions have moved Gibbs all over the offensive formation in OTAs. Gibbs has lined up in the backfield, in the slot and as an outside receiver.

And the former Crimson Tide star supports his usage by the Lions in the early stages of his career in Detroit.

“I love how they’re using me,” Gibbs said, per Pouncey. “That’s something I’ve been used to throughout high school, when I was at (Georgia) Tech and when I was at ‘Bama, so I’m pretty used to being all around and learning different routes and different concepts and stuff, so it’s cool.”

Gibbs unquestionably has the skill set to operate in such a varied role. His talents as a receiver were in evidence throughout his college career with Georgia Tech and Alabama.

He racked up 103 receptions in three collegiate seasons, recording 1,212 receiving yards at an average of 11.8 yards per catch. Gibbs left college having scored eight receiving touchdowns to go with 15 on the ground.

It is his combination of speed and elusiveness that makes Gibbs such a substantial dual threat. He is a true home-run hitter who can erase the pursuit angles of defenders with his speed, while his tremendous lateral quickness and impressive contact balance allowing Gibbs to consistently evade defenders on carries out of the backfield and after the catch in the passing game.

In a league in which selecting running backs in the first round is widely regarded as a poor use of draft capital, the Lions will need to ensure they maximize Gibbs’ versatility to vindicate taking him in top 15.

Analyzing the selection within the context of the Lions’ roster, Gibbs looks to be a replacement for D’Andre Swift, whom Detroit traded to the Philadelphia Eagles on day two of the draft. Swift caught 156 passes in three seasons with the Lions, averaging 7.7 yards per reception and catching seven touchdowns.

Yet, long term, the Lions will likely need production akin to that of the NFL’s top two receiving backs – Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara – for the pick to be considered a success.

Since entering the NFL in 2017, McCaffrey and Kamara are first and second in both receptions and receiving yards. McCaffrey has 442 receptions for 3,756 yards while Kamara has 430 for 3,753. They each have 22 receiving touchdowns, trailing only Austin Ekeler (29) in that span.

Illustrating their all-round talents, Kamara (8,888) and McCaffrey (8,482) are second and fourth in scrimmage yards since 2017.

Asking Gibbs to quickly produce at their level is a tall order. However, when a team selects a running back as highly as the Lions did, they need to have that kind of transformational impact on an offense.

The Lions attracted a lot of scrutiny by taking Gibbs in the top 12. For that scrutiny to turn to praise, they must get him the ball in a variety of ways, and he must regularly turn those touches into big plays. The questions about their understanding of positional value will become fewer if team and player rise to those respective challenges.