Detroit Lions on the hot seat after their first pick in 2023 NFL Draft
Well, tonight has been anything but predictable for the Detroit Lions. If anyone had the team trading back to select running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick, we'd love to see that bingo card. Regardless, the move has been made, and now all that is left is to deal with the fallout from a […]
Well, tonight has been anything but predictable for the Detroit Lions. If anyone had the team trading back to select running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick, we'd love to see that bingo card.
Regardless, the move has been made, and now all that is left is to deal with the fallout from a move that is certain to raise some eyebrows.
Any team selecting a running back in the first round is going to draw some attention. Taking the second back in the first round at 12th is a different story entirely.
To be fair to Gibbs, he is a great college player and likely brings some competition to Bijan Robinson with his versatility as a pass-catcher, but there still isn't a running back that earns their value in the first round of the draft.
This isn't a new pattern. The past few years have been very clear that these top running backs are usually only good for making the Pro Bowl. Helping with Super Bowls is a different story entirely.
To make matters worse for the Lions, the running back room of David Montgomery and D'Andre Swift didn't really need a third body like Gibbs, so this generally just puts a hat on a hat for a team that could've found plenty of other positions to get better at with their first pick that have far more value than a running back in a pass-first NFL.
This probably says something big about Swift's future with the Lions. Also, the team really wanted to pass on the top corners remaining to take another RB? Bold.
Hopefully Gibbs works out in the end, and it does work in his favor if he is going to be a big part of the passing attack as he is projected to be, but the pressure is on for the Lions to hit with their other first-round and early-round picks if they truly care about making the playoffs in 2023.