ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The Detroit Lions made a move that even surprised the first player they picked in the NFL Draft.
Detroit traded down to take Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs No. 12 overall on Thursday night, giving up its first pick and a third-rounder to Arizona for a first-round selection and the 34th spot overall.
He joins a crowded backfield with D’Andre Swift and former Bear David Montgomery.
“I was shocked,” Gibbs said, adding he expected to be drafted in the 20s.
The Lions added much-needed help on defense later in the first round, drafting Iowa’s Jack Campbell at No. 18 overall. The 6-foot-4, 249-pound Campbell became the first player in school history to win the Butkus Award as college football’s best linebacker.
Detroit is hoping to make the most of an opportunity to improve its on-the-rise franchise with a lot of picks in the draft after addressing needs on both sides of the ball in free agency.
The Lions won eight of their last 10 games and finished with a winning record last season for the first time since 2017.
General manager Brad Holmes attempted to bolster one of the league’s worst defenses by signing some veterans defensive backs, including Cameron Sutton. Holmes also added Montgomery and receiver Marvin Jones in free agency to replace Jamaal Williams and DJ Chark.
Detroit’s feel-good offseason did hit a snag last week when the NFL suspended five players, including second-year receiver Jameson Williams, for violating the league’s gambling policy.
The 5-foot-9, 199-pound Gibbs, a third-team All-America all-purpose player, is regarded as an explosive and shifty runner with excellent hands.
He started his college career at Georgia Tech and transferred to play for the Crimson Tide last year, running for 2,132 yards and 15 touchdowns in his college career. Gibbs had 103 career catches for 1,212 yards and eight scores over three seasons.
Detroit passed on a chance to fill its biggest void at defensive tackle with Georgia’s Jalen Carter, who was projected as a potential No. 1 pick before he had off-the-field issues, and chose to give Jared Goff another playmaker in a high-scoring offense.
The Lions may not have wanted to take chances on a player’s character after four of their players were disciplined recently.
Quintez Cephus and C.J. Moore were suspended indefinitely by the league for betting on NFL games and released by the Lions. Cephus had a chance to be the team’s No. 4 receiver and Moore was a key player on special teams.
Williams and receiver Stanley Berryhill, who played in four games in Detroit last season as a rookie, each received a six-game suspension for betting on non-league games at an NFL facility.
The depleted depth chart at receiver might lead to the Lions looking to add depth at the position behind starters Amon-Ra St. Brown and Marvin Jones.
Detroit started the week with nine selections, including two in each of the first two rounds and five of the first 81 picks along with a pair of slots in the fifth and sixth rounds, and acquired another second-round slot from the Cardinals.
