Jahmyr Gibbs is listed as a running back, but "that's not really how we view him," Lions GM Brad Holmes said the night of the draft. And it's not really how Gibbs views himself. He's more of a two-sided sword, which is exactly how the Lions wielded him over his first few weeks of practices in Allen Park.
"I love how they’re using me," Gibbs said at the end of minicamp last Friday. "That’s something I’ve been used to throughout high school, at (Georgia) Tech and when I was at 'Bama. I’m used to being all around and learning different routes and concepts."
Jared Goff and the Lions will hand Gibbs the ball frequently, of course. And they might throw it to him just as often. This is how to maximize the return on a running back drafted 12th overall, which is how to justify the investment. In Gibbs' words, this is how to make "an already really great offense ... even more dominant."
Gibbs lined up and linked up with Goff both in the slot and out wide against Detroit's defense in OTA's and minicamp. And Goff spent lots of time coaching him on "routes and plays and how he wants me to run them," Gibbs said. As the Lions break for several weeks before reconvening next month for training camp, Gibbs plans to spend most of his time trying to "learn and run different routes." No coincidence that he also intends to link up for some work with receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
And no surprise that when Antwaan Randle El was asked about Gibbs on Monday, the Lions receivers coach broke into a grin: "He can catch it, and he can run."
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Lots of NFL backs can catch passes out of the backfield. Few do it better than Gibbs' predecessor, D'Andre Swift. What separates Gibbs -- and what made Swift expendable -- is that "we can literally put him outside to run those routes" as a receiver, said Randle El. Nearly 90 percent of Swift's snaps last year came in the backfield, and less than 10 percent of them came out wide. Expect a much more balanced deployment for Gibbs. He still has to sharpen his route-running details, but take it from Randle El: "He's going to help us."
Or take it from Gibbs' actual position coach, former NFL running back Scottie Montgomery: "He has tremendous short-area quickness, which will allow him to create space." In a league where space comes at a premium, there might be no better asset for an offensive player. But again, that alone doesn't make Gibbs different. The NFL is full of players with quick feet. Gibbs is dangerous because he also has "long speed," said Montgomery:
"When you have that (combination), those six-, seven-, eight-yard plays can quickly turn into explosives. That’s one of the things that we’ve seen."
Offensive lineman Jonah Jackson saw it last week. Working one-on-one out of the slot, Gibbs caught a quick pass over the middle from Goff and left Detroit's defense in the dust. Recalling the play later, Jackson couldn't help but laugh at all the tacklers in Gibbs' wake: "I was like, nobody’s catching this guy. Nobody’s getting that guy right there."
In his final season at Georgia Tech, Gibbs piled up more yards after catch per reception (14.1) than any Power 5 running back in the last 10 years. (Nos. 2 and 3 on the list are Travis Etienne and Christian McCaffrey.) That's the effect of short-area quickness and long speed, combined with a sure set of hands. And lest his rushing talent be forgotten, Gibbs averaged more than six yards per carry last season after transferring to Alabama.
"What we’ve also seen from him is that in the run game, his vision is pretty spectacular right now," said Montgomery. "When the bullets start flying, he’s going to have to take it to another level. But we’re really, really intrigued with where he is vision-wise and then in the pass game just being able to create some explosives for us."
Gibbs' successful transition from Georgia Tech to Alabama will aid him as he learns a new offense in Detroit. And the season he spent playing in a pro-style system under Nick Saban will help him adapt to the NFL. After watching him grow increasingly confident the last few weeks -- "Jah really started to come on there at the end," said Montgomery -- there's no reason to think he can't make an immediate impact this season.
"What you know about him is that he can come into an environment pretty quickly, learn quickly and then go perform at a high level," Montgomery said.
The knock on Gibbs might be his stature. It's fair to wonder how his 5'9 frame will hold up in the NFL, especially at a position that takes a beating. He said himself he wants to put on more weight before the pads come on in camp. But the Lions can lean on the stouter David Montgomery to shoulder most of the load between the tackles, as part of a one-two punch that should deliver plenty of blows behind an elite offensive line.
And Scottie Montgomery will have you know that while Gibbs is soft-spoken, there's nothing soft about the way that he plays: "He’s got a little bit of an edge that people don’t know about." Sharp on all sides, Gibbs will introduce himself soon.
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