Jahmyr Gibbs is already earning rare respect around the league, and the latest ESPN positional rankings show just how high that regard has climbed.
The Detroit Lions running back checked in at No. 2 among NFL backs, trailing only Bijan Robinson. That’s a jump from No. 3 a year ago, and it came after ESPN polled more than 70 coaches, executives and scouts, who submitted top-10 lists at the position before the results were averaged.
The buzz around Gibbs wasn’t just about where he landed, but why he landed there. One anonymous NFL coordinator made the case that few players are more dangerous once the ball is in their hands.
“Your eyes tell you there’s no one like him with the ball in his hands,” they said. “He plays with better pace because of his vision, and then the gear is different.
You see him blow by guys with angles. And he’s elite in the passing game.”
Another voter pointed to a number that helps explain the respect Gibbs has built in a short time. Since entering the league, he has 39 rushing touchdowns, which ranks second among all NFL running backs over that span.
“He’s got 39 [rushing] touchdowns in three years while splitting time. It’s crazy,” an NFC exec said.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also noted how close the race at the top really was. “Robinson edged Gibbs despite a tight vote,” Fowler wrote. “The Detroit runner registered nearly as many first-place votes, but Robinson won with an average rating of 1.78 in the composite voting.”
Gibbs’ floor in the voting was eighth, while Robinson never fell lower than fourth.
And with Detroit getting ready to lean on Gibbs as its bell-cow back, the ceiling could get even higher. Dan Campbell said this offseason that the Lions are prepared to put a lot on his shoulders.
“He can run everything that we’ve got,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said this offseason. “He can run every scheme that anybody’s ever run.
He’s not just an outside runner. He is not just a space runner.
He can create his own space in the middle. And some of his biggest runs have been gap scheme right down the pipe where he’s had patience and found it and guys blocked it up well.
So, we’re going to ask a lot of him.”
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