OROY watch: Lions rookie has award-winning potential

The Detroit Lions turned some heads in April when they added running back Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 12 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Alabama product was almost assuredly a first-round caliber player, but perhaps went a few picks earlier than most analysts expected. On top of that, the Lions had just inked free agent running back David Montgomery to a multi-year contract and still had D'Andre Swift under contract.

However, head coach Dan Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes felt differently from the get-go. While making an appearance Monday on the Barstool Sports podcast "Pardon My Take," Campbell made the case for why taking Gibbs at 12 wasn't a reach at all.

"Look, (Gibbs) was one of the best players in the draft," Campbell said. "This was not the strongest draft class that there's been in a number of years, so we were all about (selecting) the best players that we could get."

Gibbs' versatility was a substantial part of his individual scouting report during his collegiate career, particularly the last two seasons. In 2021 as a sophomore at Georgia Tech, he earned First-team All-ACC honors after racking up 746 rushing yards along with 465 receiving yards. After transferring to Alabama in 2022, he rushed for 926 yards to pair with 444 receiving yards, including a three-touchdown performance in an epic 52-49 loss to rival Tennessee.