ALLEN PARK, Mich. — On the heels of his NFL debut, Detroit Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs was still riding an emotional high as he strolled through the tunnel with teammates to exit Arrowhead Stadium.
Detroit had just taken down the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, 21-20, to begin the regular season 1-0 for the first time since 2017.
“I think I showed them why they drafted me,” he told ESPN while leaving the visitor’s locker room. “… To be able to do a lot of things in the offense and make plays.”
The No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 draft displayed his versality throughout the win, averaging six yards on his seven carries and catching two passes for 18 yards while splitting touches with veteran running back David Montgomery.
But on draft day, the Lions had to make a decision between Gibbs and another top-of-the-draft level running back in Bijan Robinson. Detroit ultimately moved back, trading the sixth overall pick and a third-round pick (No. 81) to the Arizona Cardinals for picks No. 12, 34, and 168. The No. 12 pick was used to take Gibbs after the Atlanta Falcons took Robinson No. 8 overall.
“Certainly, liked both of those guys. We liked Bijan, too,” Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters on Monday, “but we just really felt like with where we were at, we’ve got D. Mo [Montgomery] here and we just felt like with Gibbs, he fit what we needed perfectly.
“And I just think it’s rare to have a guy that you really feel like in due time can be dynamic in the run and the pass game as a halfback. I just think there’s so much versatility with him, so between that, he fits what we do perfectly, and he has that potential to be dynamic in both areas of the offensive side of the football. It was just too good to turn down.”
In his NFL debut Sunday, Robinson helped lead the Falcons to a 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He finished with 10 carries for 56 rushing yards along with six catches for 27 receiving yards and a touchdown.
.@Jahmyr_Gibbs1 helps the @Lions win in the first game of his NFL career 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZVBxD93g2N
— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2023
Gibbs and Robinson were drafted among the first 12 picks a year after no running backs went in the first round. Robinson and Gibbs were also the first pair of running backs to go in the top 12 since 2017, when Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey were selected fourth and eighth, respectively, but the Lions are confident in their guy.
“I just thought that he [Gibbs] was so explosive, he was so dynamic. Again, I think that if you’re asking the difference between Bijan and Gibbs, I actually think they’re different players,” Lions general manager Brad Holmes said after Day 1 of the draft. “I think one guy is probably more of a bell-cow running back, very, very talented player who’s going to be a really good player in this league and he’s gonna make a lot of plays.
“But I think that our guy Gibbs is a very, very talented player who is going to make a lot of plays. I just think that they’re different flavors. But they were both really high impact players. But there was just something about Gibbs. And again, there’s something about Gibbs for us. It’s not about what Bijan would be for us. It’s about what would Gibbs be for us. So, that’s why we had him in such high regard.”
Eric Woodyard
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