Jahmyr Gibbs pick already haunting Lions’ front office

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is being held out of rookie minicamp practice on Saturday for precautionary reasons.

The Detroit Lions made a bold choice in drafting running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of Alabama with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Gibbs was an excellent player for the Crimson Tide and his home state’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets before that. While he certainly had first-round talent coming out of Alabama, it was still shocking to see him go that high to Detroit in round one. This selection came only a few minutes after the Atlanta Falcons picked up former Texas Longhorns running back Bijan Robinson at No. 8.

To make matters worse, Lions assistant general manager Ray Agnew said Gibbs will be held of out rookie minicamp practice on Saturday after slightly tweaking his ankle.

It may be precautionary, but this may not sit well with some Lions fans who questioned the pick.

Detroit is arguably the favorite to win the NFC North, so this is a huge year for head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes’ team anyway. They had an interesting draft as well.

Detroit Lions rookie Jahmyr Gibbs already sidelined with an slight ankle injury

It is exceedingly rare for the Lions to be getting this much praise heading into any particular season. They usually make a mess of it alright, but things are certainly looking up for them. That feels undeniable. However, this is a franchise that has never won the NFC North before, so this is untrodden territory for them. Having reasonable expectations could prove disastrous for Detroit.

I think the plan all along was to draft Gibbs high and then move off former Georgia star running back D’Andre Swift. The Lions did trade him to the Philadelphia Eagles where Swift will not only be back in his hometown, but playing alongside many of those who also starred collegiately in the Red and Black. As for Gibbs, Detroit is banking on him being a productive playmaker right away.

You don’t trade swift or let Jamaal Williams walk in NFL free agency if you don’t have a succession plan in the backfield. Detroit’s inability to run the football effectively was one of the franchise’s many Achilles heels during the Matthew Stafford era under center. Pounding the rock may be at Campbell’s ethos, man, but we didn’t see Gibbs set the SEC on fire during his one year at Alabama.

As long as Gibbs is healthy and delivers for the Lions beginning in Week 1, none of this will matter.