Not everyone loved the Lions' first-round picks Thursday night. In fact, Brad Holmes was widely panned for his selections of running back Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 and linebacker Jack Campbell at No. 18. Many pundits said Gibbs, in particular, was a reach.
Jalen Ramsey wasn't having it: "People trippin talkin bout reach," he said. The star cornerback for the Dolphins added later, "People questioning the Lions but they might be on to something."
Another big proponent of the Gibbs pick? Former Pro Bowl quarterback Robert Griffin III, who said "Lions fans will LOVE" the offensive weapon out of Alabama:
Finally, for all the NFL Draft analysts saying the Lions struck out on positional value, college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit thinks Holmes hit it big. He said Detroit was "the one team that stood out to me" in the first round.
"I don’t know if people who follow the NFL realize what Jahmyr Gibbs is going to be for Detroit," Herbstreit said Friday on the Pat McAfee Show. "Think about what Detroit did last year offensively, and now you get that weapon? I mean, think of Alvin Kamara, think of Christian McCaffrey, that’s who he is.
"This guy isn’t a running back who can run routes. He can line up in the slot and run like a wide receiver. He is a matchup nightmare. And then he can get physical, he’s a 200-pound back who can run between the tackles. That was a great pick."
Herbstreit also gushed about Campbell, the Butkus Award winner last season as the top linebacker in the country. He should be an impact player in the middle of the Lions' defense from the jump.
"That kid is a freak," Herbstreit said. "6’5, 240 and can run. Probably the most productive linebacker that we’ve seen over the last two years combined in college football, and they pick him up. So I thought Detroit got off to a great start last night."
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