Lions make stunning pick in Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs | PFF Draft Show

The Pro Football Focus live draft show explains why Detroit’s decision to add another running back to the roster is a head scratcher.

Video transcript

- No way.

- [WHISTLES]

- What?

- How high do you draft a running back? How high do you draft running back two?

- Jahmyr Gibbs, 12 to the Lions.

- There you go.

- What?

- Wasn't expecting that.

- Our camera guy is losing his stuff in the background there. He's going nuts. Holy cow.

- Wow.

- I had Jahmyr Gibbs-- in my last mock draft, I had Jahmyr Gibbs going 21 to the Chargers. And I was like, oh, man, that's a little early.

- I'll tell you what, he can fly. [CHUCKLES] That is-- if you're gonna be an outside zone kind of team, he is a homerun threat from the running back position. If San Francisco had taken him, if Miami had taken him, I'd have gone, OK, I totally understand it because you let that offense get to the edge, you've got real problems.

- Whoa.

- I'm surprised this high with two running backs there, for sure.

- So do they not believe in Swift? They can't believe in Swift, right?

- I mean, he's-- he isn't an every down guy.

- What's the logic? Tell me what the logic is to make a three running back rotation at 12?

- Because Swift is in the last year of his contract.

- If you're not moving on from Swift next year.

- You will be.

- Yeah, you will because you're never gonna pay him--

- But that's different.

- Yeah.

- That's the smart-- look, the smart thing to do, yes, is to not pay the running back the second contract. The Lions are at least doing that. The risky thing to do is to then draft a running back at 12 and have him be a replacement--

- Golly.

- --because he's already gonna get paid pretty healthily.

- Yeah, and look, as he's-- with that--

- Who's gonna have more guarantees in his contract? Jahmyr Gibbs because he got drafted at 12 or whatever D'Andre Swift gets next year in a second year contract? Probably Jahmyr Gibbs, right?

- It's probably close.

- It's probably gonna be good.

- It's probably gonna be close when Swift hits the open market. Yeah.

- So they're basically just trading Gibbs for whatever they would sign Dion-- or D'Andre Swift for.

- Yeah, sure, I mean, and getting younger. Like, the--

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- And for running backs, that's more important than it is for other positions because those guys may only last, you know, a contract or a contract and a half--

- That's fair.

- --before they are starting to decline. Look, this is a fascinating pick because Gibbs is--

- [LAUGHS] Holy cow.

- --the homerun hitter. That guy has 47.5% of his entire college rushing production is on breakaway runs, right? So half, essentially, of his college production is breaking a big play, an explosive play, which are the most valuable plays in the NFL. It's huge.

And that speed, there are not many guys in the draft that look like him, that can do some of the things he can do. Having said that, he's not Bijan special. Like, this is not a profile that we don't see, that is completely different, that breaks all the rules.