Lions have training camp request for rookie Jahmyr Gibbs

The Detroit Lions have a specific request for rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs ahead of his first NFL training camp. 

"Be physical. Just show physicality in every sense," Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said about the first-round draft pick, as shared by John Maakaron of FanNation's All Lions. "I know this guy's skill set from a speed, quickness, mental. I want him to be physical. If you're a tough team, you don't get toughness from the big guys. The big guys are going to be tough. If you're a tough team, your small guys are tough."

Detroit spent the No. 12 overall pick on Gibbs, a former Alabama Crimson Tide star, at a time when teams around the NFL are devaluing veteran running backs and the position, in general. Per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk and Eric Woodyard of ESPN, Lions head coach Dan Campbell lined Gibbs up at wide receiver during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp, but Montgomery indicated the 21-year-old will spend the majority of his first pro season working out of the backfield. 

"He's got a little bit of an edge that people don't know because he's quiet at times," Montgomery added about Gibbs' toughness. "But once we get in the building and we get behind closed doors, he does have a different level of that. And then, you can't play at the University of Alabama if you don't have a level of physicality to you." 

The Lions are widely expected to compete for more than just a playoff berth during the upcoming season and hope Gibbs will help them achieve such goals without hitting a so-called "rookie wall" in December or January. As of Monday evening, OddsChecker listed Detroit as the favorite to win the NFC North title at +145 betting odds. The Minnesota Vikings were second at that time at +310.