Why RBs Bijan Robinson, Jahmyr Gibbs are perfect in their own ways for Falcons, Lions

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — NFL general managers are typically tight-lipped and guarded in the weeks leading up to the NFL Draft. Their main objective is to keep their intentions close to the vest, as they work to improve their rosters. But if you listen closely, you might just be able to read the tea leaves and cut through the noise.

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So, then, perhaps we should’ve paid more attention when, a little more than a week before the 2023 draft, Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes didn’t shy away from the idea of spending premium capital on a running back.

“I just kind of look at it as they’re all football players,” Holmes said, when asked for his opinion of first-round running backs — eventually telling a story of how the Los Angeles Rams drafted Todd Gurley 10th in 2015 and never regretted it. “They’re all football players and if they can help you, they can help you.”

First-round running backs aren’t for everyone. The position is susceptible to injuries. Some data suggests running backs rarely live up to second contracts. It’s also easier to find starting-caliber talent in lower rounds of the draft.

But the two teams that had no problem rolling the dice early on potential game-changing backs this April, the Atlanta Falcons (2-0) and Lions (1-1), will meet in Detroit on Sunday, hoping to showcase their shiny new toys: Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson.

Robinson and Gibbs will forever be linked due to their respective draft positions and how increasingly rare it is for multiple running backs to be selected among the top 12 picks. Between 2000 to 2010, multiple running backs were selected within the top 12 picks on four occasions. But it has happened just twice in the last 13 years, in 2017 (for Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey) and in April.

Gibbs is a fan of his Falcons counterpart.

“They’ve done a great job using him,” Gibbs said Wednesday. “With his skill set, he can do pretty much everything and it’s really impressive with his size — being 220 and can move like that is very special.”

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The Lions had a chance to draft Robinson. He was there for the taking at No. 6 and was viewed as one of the elite players in this class, regardless of position. But Detroit ultimately passed, opting to make a deal with the Arizona Cardinals and trade down to No. 12 instead. That paved the way for the Falcons, coached by a run-heavy offensive mind in Arthur Smith, to draft Robinson at No. 8.

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Holmes and the Lions, meanwhile, waited nervously as the next few picks played out. Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter went ninth to the Philadelphia Eagles, following a trade with the Chicago Bears. A pair of offensive linemen, Tennessee’s Darnell Wright and Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski, went to the Bears and Tennessee Titans at picks 10 and 11. The Lions were on the clock at No. 12.

When that happened, Holmes couldn’t help but celebrate. He knew he got his man in Gibbs.

VIDEO: Inside the Lions draft room when they called Jahmyr Gibbs — and Brad Holmes accidentally knocked Dan Campbell between the legspic.twitter.com/1YED2OGIfl

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) April 28, 2023

That’s a genuine reaction to a player Holmes believed to be one of the better prospects in the class, even if it was considered by some to be a reach. But Holmes said he would’ve been comfortable selecting Gibbs sixth overall if it came to that.

Holmes attended the Alabama-Texas game in 2022, the first matchup between Robinson and Gibbs. He saw both players with his own eyes and determined that Gibbs, in addition to the draft capital earned in the trade down that helped Detroit land tight end Sam LaPorta, was the move for this Lions team.

“I think that if you’re asking the difference between Bijan and Gibbs, I actually think they’re different players,” Holmes said in April. “I think one guy is probably more of a bell-cow running back, very, very talented player who’s going to be a really good player in this league and he makes a lot of plays.

“But I think that our guy Gibbs is a very, very talented player who is going to make a lot of plays. I just think that they’re different flavors. They were both really high-impact players. But there was just something about Gibbs. And again, there’s something about Gibbs for us. It’s not about what Bijan would be for us. It’s about what would Gibbs be for us. So, that’s why we had him in such high regard.”

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“We like Bijan too, man,” Campbell said last week. “But we just really felt like with where we were at, we got (RB David Montgomery) here and we just felt like with Gibbs, man, he fit what we needed perfectly. I just think it’s rare to have a guy that you really feel like, in due time, can be dynamic in the run and the pass game as a halfback. I just think there’s so much versatility with him. … He fits what we do perfectly and he has that potential to be dynamic in both areas of the offensive side of the football. It was too good to turn down.”

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The Lions have their man and the Falcons theirs, selecting talents they felt would strengthen their respective offenses and never apologizing for it. Both Gibbs and Robinson are dynamic in their own right — Robinson at making guys miss; Gibbs as a dual threat with 4.36 speed. However, two weeks into their NFL careers, their usage has been noticeably different.

Robinson has outpaced Gibbs in touches (39 to 23) and scrimmage yards (255 to 116). He’s coming off a game in which he rushed for 124 yards on 19 carries, plus made four receptions for an additional 48 yards. Gibbs, meanwhile, had 14 total touches for 55 yards in a game that Montgomery couldn’t finish after suffering a thigh bruise. In crunch time, the Lions turned to Craig Reynolds over their first-round rookie.

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Like Holmes and Campbell, Smith also cautioned against surface comparisons of Gibbs and Robinson.

“If you actually watch the tape, they are different,” the Falcons coach told reporters in Atlanta this week. “Different styles of runners, different skill sets. That’s why I think sometimes comparisons are ridiculous. Obviously, (Gibbs) is a good player for them.”

It’s fair to wonder when the Lions might give their first-round pick the necessary touches to justify his draft position — especially considering some of the talent available at both No. 6 and No. 12. Sunday’s game could be a breakout game for Gibbs, though.

The Lions, like the Falcons, love running the ball. Montgomery has been Detroit’s workhorse through the first two weeks, but his injury has him day-to-day and potentially set to miss Sunday’s contest. It’s unclear how much time he’ll need before he’s ready to return. In theory, it should pave the way for Gibbs to play more snaps and demonstrate his versatile skill set with the added volume.

When asked if his rookie running back is ready for more touches, Campbell smiled and said, “We’ll find out.”

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Gibbs believes he is.

“You’re always gonna be excited when you get to play some more and touch the ball some more,” Gibbs said. “So, yeah, I’d be pretty amped up for that.”

And so, the stage is set for Gibbs and Robinson’s first NFL meeting. Robinson was a five-star running back; Gibbs was a four-star prospect. They both played in the All-American Bowl in 2020, which is where they first struck up a friendship. They’ve grown to appreciate one another and even shared a position coach in college — Tashard Choice — who was Gibbs’ coach at Georgia Tech before leaving for Texas to coach Robinson. NFL scouts traveled from all over the country to watch them face off in college, and it was enough for both players to be drafted in the top 12, just four selections part.

Two running backs who will forever be linked, in two high-powered offenses, aiming to prove why their teams invested in them.

May the best back win.

(Photos: Todd Kirkland and Rey Del Rio / Getty Images) 

The Football 100, the definitive ranking of the NFL’s best 100 players of all time, goes on sale this fall. Pre-order it here.

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