What to expect from Jahmyr Gibbs' rookie year
Has the shock worn off all the way yet? The Detroit Lions threw everyone for a loop in April when instead of drafting the defensive lineman nearly everyone thought they'd take with their first pick, the Lions went out and took a running back instead when they took Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick. It […]
Has the shock worn off all the way yet? The Detroit Lions threw everyone for a loop in April when instead of drafting the defensive lineman nearly everyone thought they'd take with their first pick, the Lions went out and took a running back instead when they took Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th pick.
It was so unexpected to see the Lions go this route. At the time they had D'Andre Swift and David Montgomery and that seemed like a formidable duo. Most everyone felt that the Lions would take a running back, but it would be much later in the draft.
Nevertheless, the Lions got themselves quite the player in Gibbs. He was a home run hitter at Alabama in both the run game and the pass game. He's already putting up highlights at mini camp too. I'm sure we'll see more when training camp beings in July. But what can we expect to see from Gibbs when the season starts in September?
First off, I think it's a bit shortsighted to just call Gibbs a running back. Sure, that's his position that's listed on his roster page and that's what it'll say on his rookie card. But it really should say something closer to "Swiss Army knife" or "Weapon X." I like Weapon X because I think Gibbs was made in a lab and given the powers to do just about everything on a football field. We have no proof that he has adamantium in him at this time. General Stryker has not responded to our emails.
Kidding aside, expect Gibbs to do a lot more than run the ball in 2023. Gibbs led Alabama in receptions in 2022 for a reason. It's because Gibbs is able to open up the field and make plays in space. he's also able to make being a safety valve more of a problem for defenses than your average safety valve. Take a look at this play from last year.
He can extend plays with his legs and his acceleration. Gibbs takes what could have been a short yard check down and turns it into a touchdown with his ability to work in space and see the field.
It's not all about the safety valve stuff though. Gibbs can line up as a receiver and make things happen. Take a look at how he finds a way to get open for a touchdown against Texas.
The guy just doesn't stop moving and he eventually finds a way to get himself open and he saves Bryce Young from having to throw the ball away or take a sack.
This is the type of thing you should expect early from Gibbs in 2023. Sure there will be some rookie bumps in the road. Nobody is exempt from that. But with Jameson Williams out for the first six games of the season due to suspension, Gibbs has a very similar skill set that the Lions can rely on and while the bumps will be there, I expect Gibbs to run over most of them.
Speaking of running, I do expect Gibbs to get a lot of play in the pass game, but he's going to be running that thing too. Just maybe not as much as David Montgomery. The Lions have their three down bell cow back in Montgomery and he should see the majority of the carries for this team. Gibbs is your change of pace back that can find an opening and take it to the house. You don't want him taking every carry. You want him coming in when the Lions offense has the opposing defense right where they want them.
Gibbs will have some big plays on the ground in his rookie year. The reason why is because the man has very good field vision. He's able to find the right hole and once he's through it, he has great anticipation for what the defender in front of him might do. He also has insane twitch speed and is able to change direction and make his man miss at an impressive rate.
This carry against Arkansas really shows his field vision and his change of direction prowess.
He spots the hole and turns on a dime to go through it. Nobody was going to catch him after that. This is the sort of thing you can expect from Gibbs when he gets the ball handed off to him.
At the end of the day, the expectations for Gibbs should be high. He's a dynamic player with all world athleticism. The Lions should be using him immediately. As for stats at the end of the year, it's hard to come up with exact numbers, but I think he could have a season similar to Austin Ekeler's 2022 season.
I'm not saying Gibbs will have 915 rushing yards and 722 receiving yards, but I am saying that this is a good example of the type of balance that might show up on his stat sheet at the end of the day. He very well could be one of the most used weapons on this team. I fully expect Gibbs to be one of the favorites for rookie of the year when it's all said and done.
Featured image by Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK
