Jahmyr Gibbs 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Alabama RB

Jahmyr Gibbs: 5’11”, 200 pounds.

A former top-100 overall recruit in 2020, Jahmyr Gibbs immediately produced for the Georgia Tech program as a true freshman. He recorded nearly 1,000 all-purpose yards and seven touchdowns on just 121 touches (eight kick returns).

Gibbs was then named a second-team All-American player at the all-purpose spot in 2021, thanks to 1,211 yards from scrimmage on 178 touches, averaging 6.8 yards per and reaching the end-zone six times.

Following that, Gibbs transferred over to the SEC, where he really was the main offensive weapon for Alabama. He was named first-team all-conference, combining 151 carries and 44 catches for 1,370 yards and 10 touchdowns from scrimmage, averaging 7.0 yards per touch.

Jahmyr Gibbs scout report: Strengths

+ Very much reminds me of Georgia’s James Cook last year, in terms of somebody that if you give him that lane to explode through, he may bang his head on the goal-post soon after.

+ This kid is like a sportscar that can switch gears with no issues at all and make defenders look silly.

+ You see Gibbs move laterally on zone concepts and then look like he’s shot out of a cannon as he decides to get vertical and hit the crease. Defenders routinely appear to be a little late coming off blocks as he gets into the defensive backfield.

+ Has some of the most impressive feet in the draft class and an ability to cut on a moment’s notice, as well as bob and hesitate before slicing through (small) creases.

+ For being right around the 200-pound size, Gibbs gladly follows concepts between the tackles and does a nice job of slightly hesitating behind pullers before acceleration through the creases.

+ His start-stop quickness is off the chart, to where it seems like he’s going full speed, then momentarily moves laterally to make a defender miss and be right back in top gear.

+ Moves with the control to almost shuffle sideways to allow the play to develop and then explode through the hole.

+ There are moments where it appears he’ll be brought down for no gain, but he somehow torpedoes through a narrow lane, where he slithers off arm-tackles from the side.

+ That wiggle he has leads to defenders rarely getting a straight shot at him, constantly dipping underneath defenders after forcing them to leverage him a certain way and just reducing the surface area they can hit.

+ Showcases tremendous balance and ability to stay on his feet as he slices underneath blockers in space and when there’s some contact.

+ Times up well when he swipes down with the ball not holding the ball, as tacklers are reaching out for him.

+ He may look undersized, but Gibbs breaks more tackles than you’d expect, thanks to the way he dips and pulls his shoulders up through contact when he can’t avoid defenders.

+ Overall, he forced 69 missed tackles on 232 career attempts with the Yellow Jackets, and he made somebody miss on every fourth carry this past season, along with 15 runs of 15+ yards.

+ Has some of the softest hands you’ll find from a college running back – dropped only two of 105 career catchable targets.

+ At Alabama, he quickly became the top option in the passing game, whether it was on slide, angle or option routes underneath or even down the field quite regularly.

+ Was flexed out wide at least 5-10 times per game and his burst off the ball combined with the way he can stop on a dime, got him open on hitches constantly.

+ Quickly recognizes and gets to the right solutions on secondary routes, and despite his heavy usage in the pattern, Gibbs averaged an impressive 1.83 yards per route run.

+ Has that instant acceleration once the ball touches his hands and instantly turns upfield after the catch, while showcasing good feel for space and recognizing defenses around him. Catching passes out in the flats, you see guys trying to run him down whiff as he turns up the sidelines.

+ You’ll be hard-pressed to find a play where he catches the ball underneath with space and the first tackler brings him to the ground.

+ Getting him out in space with a convoy on screen games screams house-call.

Jahmyr Gibbs scout report: Weaknesses

front-side lanes every once in a while.

– Gets a little too cute when he gets the ball on tosses, sweeps, etc. and tries to foot-fake somebody tracking him one-on-one, only to get taken down for a loss.

– Slips every once in a while when he tries to press a crease hard and his momentum is too far out in front as he’s trying to make his cut.

– Definitely runs tougher than his size would indicate, but this is not somebody who’ll get the best of straight-up collisions in the hole with linebackers or sustain a big blow from the side.

– Close to a zero when locked into pass-protection, just not having the anchor strength to stymie the charge of blitzing linebackers.

Jahmyr Gibbs scout report: Grade

When you draft Gibbs, you understand that he’s right around 200 pounds and will never carry the ball 18-20 times per game. I don’t think he’s built to do that, but that would also be a disservice to the style of player he can be for you.

The components he can add to your passing game as a matchup asset and just the dynamic open-field skills is highly valuable. Yet, at the same time, he is highly capable of reading and executing run schemes between the tackles at a high level, where he packs that instant acceleration to slice through the second level and create explosive plays.

He just had an outstanding showcase at the combine, with a 4.36 in the 40, and he looked so smooth in all the on-field drills to remind people he’s still worthy of consideration for a late first-round pick.

Grade: Late 1st round.

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