There were a lot of people who questioned the strategy of the Detroit Lions on Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Their trade back from No. 6 was lauded as they picked up the Nos.12, 34 and 168 selections in the 2023 NFL Draft from the Arizona Cardinals in the deal, while including the No. 81 pick. What occurred after that is when some strong opinions were made.
With the No. 12 pick, Detroit selected Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs was the second running back selected, as Bijan Robinson went No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons. Both selections left people scratching their heads in disbelief as running backs don’t normally go that early in the draft.
Only three running backs had been selected in the first round this decade and none came before the No. 24 overall pick. What made the pick even more confusing was the fact that the Lions signed David Montgomery to a three-year deal in free agency, re-signed Craig Reynolds and still had D’Andre Swift as a holdover.
On Day 3, Swift was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles to clear the logjam, but it was still not a selection thought highly of by many people. However, there is one person who is keeping receipts and liked what the Lions did; Kirk Herbstreit.
The football analyst known for his work on College Gameday and as an announcer for “Saturday Night Football” and Thursday Night Football on Amazon thought very highly of Detroit’s selection of Gibbs. He spoke about it on the Pat McAfee Show last week following Round 1.
Gibbs is a dynamic athlete that will bring a home run aspect to the Lions’ offense. He will be a nice pairing with Montgomery, who is certainly the thunder to Gibbs’ lightning. Rumors were floating around that the Lions would have been comfortable selecting Gibbs at No. 6 should a trade not have materialized.
While many people will question that strategy, saying he would have been available when they came on the clock at No. 18, it does not sound like that would have been the case. According to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com, the New York Jets would have selected Gibbs 15th had he been on the board.
The Lions, despite knowing some negative reviews could be on the way, stuck to their board and took the player they wanted. With how quickly general manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have turned things around, they deserve the benefit of the doubt when it comes to selecting Gibbs where they did.
