Since I gave the Falcons’ pick of Bijan Robinson a B- as well, you may assume that I’m anti-running back. I am not, but I think the Lions probably could have picked Gibbs up with their second first-round pick if they wanted him. Gibbs is a great back with the ability to win in multiple ways, but I’m just questioning the placement of the pick.
Height: 5′ 9⅛” (25th percentile) Weight: 199 (14th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.36 (97th)
10-Yard Split: 1.52 (83rd)
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 33½” (37th)
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Wingspan: 74⅛” (46th)
Arm Length: 30½” (35th)
Hand Size: 9¼” (47th)
Bio: Gibbs overcame financial insecurity as a child and young adult, became an early star at Dalton High School in Dalton, Georgia. He earned All-State and All-American honors as a senior, and was named Georgia’s Mr. Football in 2019. Gibbs, who also excelled in basketball and track, was a four-star recruit and committed to Georgia Tech — primarily because he had developed a relationship with running backs coach and former NFL running back Tashard Choice. An immediate star as a running back and return man, Gibbs transferred to Alabama for the 2022 season.
Over three seasons with the Yellowjackets and the Crimson Tide, Gibbs totaled 2,139 yards and 15 touchdowns on 383 carries, adding 103 receptions on 123 targets for 1,215 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2022, he had 391 snaps in the backfield, 18 in the slot, four out wide, and two inline.
Stat to Know: Gibbs leads all NCAA running backs over the last three seasons with 25 catches of 15 or more yards, and 39 forced missed tackles on receptions.
Strengths: Gibbs had 31 explosive plays last season on just 192 touches in 2022, which gives you a basic idea of how he is as a player. You love the deep receptions, of course, but I had to put this 60-yard catch against Kansas State in the Sugar Bowl. This is a seemingly simple short crosser, but from Gibbs just disintegrating linebacker Austin Moore with a preposterous foot fake, to the “I’m open” move, to the speed after the catch, to the acceleration up the boundary, Gibbs is clearly a player who can creative explosives out of plays a lot of running backs just couldn’t.
Gibbs blends appealing contact balance for his size with elite lateral agility, and the kind of multi-directional speed that will leave defenders in his dust. Add a level of vision that a lot of backs would envy, and it’s a very complete package.
Weaknesses: Gibbs’ size and prediction for getting into release routes out of the backfield makes him a less than optimal pass-blocker; he’s more of an innocent bystander than an interested party.
Conclusion: If you’re selecting Jahmyr Gibbs for your NFL team, probably in the bottom of the first round or the top of the second, you’re not doing that because you want a headbanger who impose his will on enemy defenses. You are doing so because you want to add an offensive weapon who has a proven ability to maximize his athletic attributes everywhere from the backfield to the slot to out wide, with possible further development along the way. He’s a prototype player for any team looking for elements in their running back that brings to mind anybody from Brian Westbrook to Le’Veon Bell.
NFL Comparison: Alvin Kamara. It’s the obvious comparison, it’s the one everybody is using, and while I could try to be cute and go elsewhere, it just makes too much sense. Selected by the Saints in the third round of the 2017 draft, Kamara was the ideal lightning/satellite back in Sean Payton’s offense. Payton helped to force the advent of the base nickel defense by moving Reggie Bush from the backfield to the slot, Kamara was a furtherance of that paradigm, and in a lot of ways, Gibbs is the next step in the progression — or, at the very least, a very good copy of the original.
