The Washington Redskins' backfield situation is a little uncertain, which helps explain why they selected Memphis hybrid Antonio Gibson in the third round.
Gibson is listed as a wide receiver, but he also lined up in the backfield and even under center for the Tigers this past season, tallying 12 total touchdowns. Gibson also displayed his talents as a return man, averaging 28.0 yards per kick return and scoring a return touchdown.
Essentially, Gibson can do it all. His versatility is somewhat reminiscent Carolina Panthers star running back Christian McCaffrey, who had a similar “do-it-all” sort of role for the Stanford Cardinal during his collegiate career. And versatility clearly wooed Washington.
Gibson welcomes those comparisons to McCaffrey as he embarks on his NFL career, per ESPN's John Keim:
“I would definitely like to compare myself to [McCaffrey] because he's exactly like what I want to do … I want to be in the backfield, but also I want to play in the receiving game. I feel like he's tremendous doing that, and that's what I want to bring to the team. My ability to catch effectively and make plays happen and also be able to run — just an all-around team player and an all-around back.”
New Redskins head coach Ron Rivera coached McCaffrey in Carolina, and he said there are similarities between the two in terms of skill sets.
Of course, McCaffrey was still primarily a running back and return man in college. He has since become a tremendous weapon out of the backfield in Carolina. Perhaps Gibson's situation will be the inverse.
Regardless, Gibson figures to take snaps all over the field. He certainly could get a shot to play running back, especially considering Adrian Peterson's age and Derrius Guice's injury issues.
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