There’s a reason the Detroit Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. At 5-foot-9, 201 lbs., he’s ultra-explosive, as evidenced by his 4.36 40-time at the 2023 NFL Combine. In addition to his big-play speed, he’s incredibly versatile and adept at running routes at every level of the field — both from the wide receiver spot and out of the backfield.
My comparison for Gibbs during the pre-draft process in terms of sheer movement skill was Percy Harvin. However, the beginning of his NFL career is eerily similar to Reggie Bush’s. Early in Bush’s career, the Saints seemingly struggled to find ways to get the ball into his hands. He was never viewed as an every-down back by the Saints coaching staff. Bush was a gadget player, while Deuce McAllister was given the lion’s share of carries.
Like the Saints in 2006, the Detroit Lions appear to be struggling with getting the ball into the hands of Gibbs. Through two games, he has just 14 carries and 9 receptions. That’s only 11.5 touches from scrimmage per game. With David Montgomery out of the lineup, the Lions would be wise to give Gibbs more work than they have in the first couple of weeks of the season. Unfortunately, the NFL is full of coaches who regularly overthink and misuse top-tier talent.
If you can buy low on Gibbs, I certainly recommend it. With that said, waiting for him to eventually become the fantasy boon he was projected to be this offseason will require some patience. The Lions just promoted running back Zonovan Knight to the active roster, and he will likely receive a lot of the work between the tackles, while Gibbs maintains his role as an “air back.”
The prospect of Gibbs ceding carries to an undrafted free agent (albeit a talented one) because the team that drafted him doesn’t think highly enough of him to consistently hand the ball off to him is wildly infuriating. He’s simply too talented to be limited to this extent by his coaches.
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