What are the Detroit Lions cooking in Michigan? After an impressive 2022 season fell short of their playoff aspirations, many expect them to take control of the NFC North. They've added some new weapons to complement their offense, including rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Amid all the hype around the team, QB Jared Goff praised the rookie, per Mike Ohara, adding more fuel to the steam train that is Gibbs.
“He's pretty good, he's pretty good in space,” Goff said. “He's really special. That's always our goal — to get those guys who are special in space and he's one of them.”
The Lions had a hole to fill in their roster after the departure of Jamaal Williams. Williams was one of their most productive players last season, along with D'Andre Swift. With both players finding new homes, the team needed to find a new option in the backfield.
Article Continues BelowEveryone agrees that Gibbs is a damn good player, someone that can be productive with the Lions or with any other team. However, the biggest hang-up that fans and critics had is his draft position. Detroit drafted Gibbs with the 12th pick in the 2023 draft. In this day and age, drafting running backs that high is highly controversial, to say the least. In fact, the Falcons' earlier pickup of Bijan Robinson was widely slammed, despite the RB's talent.
Still, Gibbs and the Lions has a chance to completely change the narrative. If the rookie running back blows away everyone's expectations, perhaps the criticisms of the pick will fade. We'll see how Gibbs and newcomer David Montgomery can help Detroit win it all this season.