Gibbs ‘shocked’ to be drafted at No. 12 by Lions

Jahmyr Gibbs was chatting with friends Thursday night during the NFL draft when his phone rang unexpectedly.

Feeling like many Detroit Lions fans, Gibbs admitted to being “shocked” when he received the call that he was being selected 12th overall by Detroit as the second running back taken in the first round.

“Yeah, I thought like in the 20s because that’s where it is usually for running backs,” Gibbs said.

After an unpredictable start to the draft, the Lions traded the sixth overall pick to the Cardinals for picks Nos. 12 and 34. Detroit decided to upgrade its top-five-ranked offense from last season with Gibbs, despite its needs on defense.

The Falcons used the No. 8 selection earlier Thursday on former Texas star Bijan Robinson, who became the first running back taken in the top 10 since Saquon Barkley was drafted No. 2 overall by the Giants in 2018.

According to ESPN’s Draft Predictor, there was over a 99% chance that Gibbs would have still been available at pick No. 19, let alone No. 12.

But the Lions valued Gibbs’ character and all-around production in college, where he finished with over 2,100 rushing yards and 1,200 receiving yards while scoring 23 total touchdowns after splitting time at Georgia Tech (2020-21) and Alabama (2022).

“I feel great,” Gibbs said. “I didn’t know I would get picked as high as I did because running backs don’t get picked as high in this new age and new era of the NFL draft, but it was pretty shocking to me.

“But I’m grateful for the city of Detroit.”

Lions general manager Brad Holmes said he identified Gibbs as one of his handful of “favorite” players in the draft after thorough evaluation. Holmes also admitted to laughing at some mock drafts that projected Gibbs to fall in the 50s because he is confident that Gibbs can contribute right away to the Lions.

Gibbs’ explosiveness as a weapon in the run game and as a pass-catcher is what intrigued Holmes to pick him at No. 12 because he doesn’t view Gibbs as just a running back.

“We’ve kind of put Jahmyr in his own separate box and just got really excited about the player,” Holmes said.

Gibbs is the highest-selected running back drafted in Detroit since Hall of Famer Barry Sanders in 1989. This also marks the second consecutive year that the Lions front office has selected an Alabama player at No. 12, after jumping up 20 spots for wide receiver Jameson Williams at the same spot in 2022.

“I really didn’t put the two 12’s together, but obviously that’s one of the most respected programs in college football,” Holmes said. “I’ve got a ton of respect for Coach [Nick] Saban and what he does down there, and you kind of know what kind of product and what kind of football player he’s putting out. So it just happened to be that [Gibbs] was one our top players that we really, really liked and just glad that we were in the position to get him.”

The Lions also had the 18th overall pick, making another surprising selection with Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell.

The Lions are adding Gibbs to a loaded backfield that already features D’Andre Swift and David Montgomery. Swift is entering the final year of his rookie contract after being selected 35th overall in 2020, while Montgomery just signed a three-year, $18 million deal with the Lions earlier this offseason.

Holmes said the selection of Gibbs doesn’t “have any bearing” on Swift.

“You’ve got to look at it several ways,” Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said. “[Gibbs] is bringing a value also in the passing game that is a large, large value. And then you add that to what he can do from a dynamic standpoint in the run game, and at the end of the day, it is about value.

“It’s one of those situations where you looked at it and as Brad and [head coach] Dan [Campbell] looked at it, there was a value that we saw in this young man, it was a value that they saw in him and we made the decision to go get him.”