Photo: Timothy T. Ludwig, USA Today Sports

Comp Picks is a season-long, weekly series that looks at the incoming rookie class from all angles, tying everything together with an NFL player comparison (or a combination of players) to contextualize upside and risk.

Background

Junior, 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds

Before Jahmyr Gibbs was the focal point of one of the nation's top offenses, he was a top-tier running back recruit out of Georgia. As the #8 running back in the country and #10 player overall from Georgia, Jahmyr Gibbs accumulated an impressive stat line at Dalton High School. Over just three years, Gibbs carried the ball 530 times for 4,882 yards and 70 touchdowns while adding 45 receptions for an additional 459 yards and two touchdowns. His 40 touchdowns during his senior year still rank 12th all-time in the state of Georgia. Gibbs' success in high school drew copious amounts of interest from dominant Power Five schools, including Alabama. But Gibbs signed with Georgia Tech and found immediate success, logging 232 attempts for 1,206 yards and eight touchdowns with 59 receptions for 768 yards and five touchdowns through the air over his first two seasons. But his breakout campaign led to an interest in the transfer portal, and Gibbs's goal of competing for a national championship led to his move to Alabama. Since arriving in Tuscaloosa, Gibbs has been even more efficient. Through the first seven weeks, Gibbs has 88 attempts for 635 yards, five touchdowns, and 27 receptions for 268 yards and three touchdowns.

Scouting Report

The 2023 running back class is full of players with elite traits, and Gibbs is no exception. Gibbs has some of the best lateral agility in college football, displaying quick feet and allowing him to remain slippery and challenging to track down. The flexibility Gibbs has shown in his lower body is unique, but that matters a lot less without patience and vision to set up would-be tacklers to miss. Gibbs is an intelligent runner, consistently displaying an ability to allow blocks to develop before making a defender miss and bursting through the hole they have created. He sees the second field level well, consistently staying one step ahead of the defense. His innate ability to sell his projected path with simple angling before planting his foot and twisting in the other direction leaves defenders in his dust. He creates the aforementioned dust with a second gear most college running backs fail to possess. He's lightning-quick, using his hip and ankle flexibility to evade potential tacklers. One aspect of Gibbs's game that remained a question mark before the 2022 season kicked off was his long speed. A flurry of massive home-run rush attempts has answered those questions, with Gibbs displaying speed that should translate into an adequate forty-yard-dash time.

While all of the above traits and skills are impressive, Gibbs is an elite receiver from the running back position. He consistently shows an ability to run routes downfield, giving him more chances to make plays in space. He has natural hands, attacking the football confidently rather than utilizing his torso to assist him.

Many evaluators will struggle with Gibbs's size and, specifically, his weight. Sub-210-pound running backs don't have an excellent track record at the NFL level, albeit with exceptions. Because of that size, Gibbs doesn't have the most inspiring contact balance in the class. He is more of an east-to-west player than a north-to-south player, which could limit his fit into certain NFL schemes. His pass-blocking skills will need to improve as Gibbs sometimes struggles to identify blitzes. He displays proper technique and effort when he does engage, which likely gives NFL evaluators confidence that he will improve.

The Comp Pick: Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

While many draft analysts point to an Alvin Kamara comparison due to the elite receiving ability Gibbs possesses, his running style is more similar to that of Dalvin Cook. The quick feet and east-and-west nature of his running style are reminiscent of the Vikings' star running back, and the patience and second-level vision they display are strikingly similar. Cook entered the draft with size questions, as well, and overcame them after becoming more durable following his first couple of injury-ridden seasons. Cook has become one of the most notable workhorse backs in the league, offering a ton as a receiver to go along with his efficient rushing ability. Gibbs is more skilled as a receiver at this stage of his career, and while he may not yet possess the contact balance that Cook did, he can similarly positively affect games.

Final Thoughts

Despite his size, Gibbs can become a new-age workhorse that takes advantage of efficiency and heavy passing-down usage. He doesn't have a frame that lends itself to a 25-carry-per-game season, but with the lateral agility, vision, and intelligence he plays with, he may be equally as efficient with 15 rushes per game. Gibbs is in a class with other elite running backs, but only a few possess the upside he does as an offensive weapon. Should Gibbs declare, he will be a day-one or day-two NFL Draft pick and should be considered a top-five lock in 2023 rookie drafts. Assuming that to be the case, he will walk into the NFL as a top-12 back in dynasty formats.

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