Jahmyr Gibbs, the No. 12 overall pick in the draft, is setting suitably high goals for himself as a rookie.
The Lions running back said Monday that he's gunning for Offensive Rookie of the Year, which will indeed have his name on it if he hits his statistical targets: 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards.
Only one player in the NFL did that last season: Christian McCaffrey, who put up 1,139 rushing yards and 741 receiving yards in 17 games with the Panthers and 49ers. And only five players other than McCaffrey have done it in the last five seasons: Saquon Barkley, Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliot, Leonard Fournette and Todd Gurley.
Gibbs is confident he can become the next.
"Most definitely," he told reporters, "especially with this system."
To Gibbs' point, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been unleashing him all over the field. And GM Brad Holmes doesn't call Gibbs a running back, but "a multiphase, elite, explosive, position-less weapon." Johnson added to the intrigue last week when he said the Lions might use Gibbs "in some ways that people don’t quite think we might."
"Vertical threats don't have to be receivers, so that's one thing to watch out for with Gibbs," Johnson said.
For added context, we turn to longtime NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell, who might watch more tape than anyone in the industry. As soon as he saw Gibbs' film from his sophomore season at Georgia Tech, Cosell knew the eventual Alabama transfer would be a first-round pick.
"I think Jahmyr Gibbs is as explosive a back as you can see, and another guy that can line up anywhere," Cosell said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "He is a dynamic receiver. It’ll be very interesting to see how teams match up to the Lions with Gibbs on the field, because he can split wide and run vertical routes."
Gibbs has been compared frequently to Saints star Alvin Kamara, who won Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 and is second to only McCaffrey among running backs in receiving since he entered the NFL. Asked if Gibbs could make a similar impact as the five-time Pro Bowler, Cosell said, "Yes, but I think he is more straight-line explosive."
"I think he’s pure faster than Kamara. This is no knock on Kamara, but if you’re just talking about speed, I think Gibbs is just more straight-line explosive," said Cosell, who echoed that sentiment when asked how Gibbs compares to eighth overall pick Bijan Robinson.
The difference between the two rookies is that Robinson is built to be a bellcow, "a 270-carry-per-year back," said Cosell, whereas Gibbs looks more like a "180-to-190 guy." Even that would be steep in an offense where Gibbs will share touches with David Montgomery, who's had over 200 carries in each of his four seasons in the NFL.
In other words, it's the rushing aim that feels like a reach for Gibbs. All of the 15 backs who rushed for 1,000 last year got at least 190 carries (and most of them got well over 200). But 100 targets for Gibbs isn't out of the question, which would bring 500 receiving yards well within reach.
In 12 games at Alabama last year, Gibbs turned 151 carries into 926 yards and 44 catches into 440 yards. He has five more games on the table in the NFL, which puts an obvious premium on staying healthy. In the three seasons that McCaffrey has reached 1,000-500 in his career, he hasn't missed a game.
"If we win," said Gibbs, "the rest will come."