Jahmyr Gibbs was as surprised as anyone when the call came that the Detroit Lions were taking him 12th overall.
As a running back in a pass-happy league, Gibbs was resigned to the fact that he might have to wait until at least the 20s to get picked.
“I was still just talking to my friends, then the call hit me and I was shocked,” Gibbs said.
“Didn’t know I would get picked as high as I did because you know running backs don’t really get picked as high in this new-age era of NFL draft. Yeah, it was pretty shocking to me.”
For one night at least, running backs got some of the glory in the pass-happy NFL.
In an era when what used to be one of the premier positions in football has been de-emphasized, Texas’ Bijan Robinson and Alabama’s Gibbs broke the trend and went off the board quickly Thursday night in the NFL draft.
The Atlanta Falcons took Robinson eighth overall and the Lions took Gibbs four spots later.
The picks were a far cry from the last four drafts when only four running backs went in the first round and none were picked higher than 24th.
“Obviously, I understand the running back position has been looked at as a less-than position, but for me it’s a blessing,” said Robinson, the highest-drafted running back since Saquon Barkley went second to the Giants in 2018.
For decades, a player like Robinson would have automatically been considered to be one of the top picks after rushing for 1,580 yards with 18 touchdowns at Texas last season and clocking in at 4.46 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.
But no team had taken a running back higher than 24th overall in the last four drafts as teams have routinely been able to find top performers in the middle or later rounds and used first-rounders on players at premium positions that get big salaries in free agency.
According to the website OverTheCap, a running back picked eighth overall would be the 15th highest paid at the position compared to 36th for an edge rusher or 43rd for a wide receiver.
Part of what made Robinson and Gibbs so attractive in the draft was the fact that they both have the ability to excel in the passing game either from the backfield or lined up as a receiver.
That gives them more value in the modern game than the old-school battering ram backs who do most of their damage on handoffs.
“Being a guy that can play running back, play receiver, being versatile,” Robinson said, adding he worked as a slot receiver at Texas. “It’s an opportunity to do the same thing.”
Gibbs had 103 career catches for 1,212 yards and eight scores over three seasons at Georgia Tech and Alabama.
