Jahmyr Gibbs Scouting Report

Jahmyr Gibbs Scouting Report and NFL Draft Profile

Measurables

Jahmyr Gibbs 40 Yard Dash Time – 4.32

5’11” / 200 lbs.

 

 

Jahmyr Gibbs NFL Draft Profile

Jahmyr Gibbs is a former 4-star recruit from Dalton High School in Dalton Georgia. According to 247sports, Gibbs was the 4th best running back in the nation in the class of 2020. He was also ranked as the 5th best player in the state of Georgia. This class coming out of Georgia was stacked with talent. The top 5 players in the state were Will Anderson Jr, Arik Gilbert, Myles Murphy, Broderick Jones, and Jahmyr Gibbs. Being ranked this highly in this class led him to receive 28 scholarships. Although he received this many offers, he only visited two schools, Georgia Tech and Florida. After visiting Georgia Tech, he committed to them in May 2019. So, he entered his senior year of high school already committed to a power 5 school.

Gibbs played his 2 seasons for Georgia Tech as a true freshman and sophomore where he was nothing short of efficient. According to ESPN, Gibbs racked up 89 carries for 460 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. He also had 24 receptions for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns receiving. His sophomore season is what put him on the map. He had 143 carries for 746 rushing yards and 4 rushing touchdowns. He also had 35 receptions for 465 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns. After having these two incredible seasons for Georgia Tech, he decided to enter his name in the transfer portal. Shortly after doing so, he was offered an opportunity that he couldn’t resist. That offer was to travel to Tuscaloosa, AL, and play for Nick Saban.

 

Strengths

 

 

Athleticism

Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the most impressive athletes in all of college football this season. He has amazing explosiveness both directly off the snap and when in the open field. Off the snap, he does a good job of waiting for the play to develop and finding a gap in the defense. Once he finds one, he looks like he was shot out of a cannon. Although he doesn’t have the best quickness in the world, when he reaches top speed he is almost impossible to stop. This is because he runs with lots of velocity and power which makes him like a freight train.

Gibbs is also very good at maintaining his balance through contact to extend plays. As I mentioned earlier, Jahmyr Gibbs is a very difficult player to tackle. He is especially difficult to bring down if you just go for his legs. Although this will cause him to stumble, it will rarely bring him down. He maintains his balance by either stiff-arming the defender or planting his hand on the ground and pushing himself back up.

Gibbs is also one of the most effective running backs in the passing game as well. As I mentioned earlier, he plays with great speed and elusiveness which makes him a great route runner for short gains. Although he primarily lines up in the backfield, he can also line up on the outside in an empty back set. This makes the offense he is on more versatile because the defense must respect his game regardless of where he is lined up.

 

Mental Processing

Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the smartest and most instinctual running backs I have seen at the collegiate level. He is one of the best in the nation at letting the play develop in front of him. When he is lined up in the backfield, he lets the offensive line execute their blocks before taking off. A lot of running backs struggle with being this patient and look for the first gap they see. This is not the case with Gibbs; he finds the right gap and uses his uncapped athleticism to punish the defense.

Gibbs is also very good at diagnosing the defense in the backfield and while on the move. Being able to diagnose the defense pre-snap and during the play takes a lot of hours of watching film. Having a player who loves to watch film and find ways to further his game is contagious. This will often lead to other players in the locker room doing the same and will eventually lead to a more successful team.

Gibbs is a very intellectual and instinctual player when the ball is in his hands. On run plays, he is very good at finding holes in the defense and attacking them for big gains. Meanwhile, on passing plays he does a good job of diagnosing who is covering him. More often than not, a linebacker is covering Gibbs and that is a matchup nightmare for the defender. He can then use his elite speed to outrun the linebacker and get open for an easy catch.

 

Competitiveness

If there is one word that I could use to describe Jahmyr Gibbs, it is relentless. As mentioned earlier, he wasn’t seen as a top running back in the nation while at Georgia Tech. But that never stopped him from eventually being one of the best in the nation. This shows that he has a very good work ethic and will do anything to take his game to the next level. When watching several games this season, it seems to me that Gibbs is getting better and better. This tells me that he is never satisfied with where his game is at and he can always do better.

When Gibbs transferred from Georgia Tech to Alabama, many people questioned if he would be as efficient. It is safe to say that he has done just as good if not better since transferring. This shows that he is very consistent regardless of the competition level and his floor is very high.

 

Versatility

As I mentioned earlier, Gibbs is one of the most versatile running backs in college football. He plays with a tremendous blend of speed and power which allows him to be elite all over the field. On run plays he can be used on inside zone runs for short gains. He can also use his quick acceleration to run around the outside of the line for a big gain.

Gibbs is also a very good route runner given he is an every-down back. He uses his athleticism and mental processing skills to find ways to get open and make an easy catch. Then, once he has the ball, he turns into a running back again and lets his instincts take over.

 

Weaknesses

 

 

Pass Blocking

When watching Gibbs’ film, the first red flag I saw was his pass blocking. Considering Gibbs is a bigger back, I was shocked to see how often he got overpowered by defenders. When a running back is blocking, they have one job and that is to delay the defender. I should mention that Gibbs is good at helping an offensive lineman block if they lost their leverage. But he needs to improve his ability to block one-on-one. I understand that 9 times out of 10 he is at a size disadvantage. But he needs to get better at planting his feet and stalling the defender for even a few seconds.

 

Body Control

Although Gibbs is very good in the passing game, he does need to work on his body control. When watching his film, I realized that if the ball is not thrown within his frame, he tends to drop it. Fortunately for him he primarily runs short routes, so the throws are mostly accurate. But, if your quarterback is under pressure, you turn into a safety valve for him. You become the person he can pass the ball to and you make a play for a short gain. Unfortunately, when a quarterback is under pressure, their accuracy goes down which makes it harder to catch the ball. The only thing stopping him from being even more dangerous is his body control. I would work with some wide receiver teammates of his to help him develop this skill.

 

Jahmyr Gibbs NFL Draft Stock

Jahmyr Gibbs’ draft stock has increased drastically this season. At the beginning of the season, I would have taken him in the early 3^rd round. But, after seeing more of what he brings to the table, I would take him in the early 2^nd. That is just because running backs often fall down draft boards on draft day.

 

Final Thoughts on Jahmyr Gibbs Scouting Report

Overall, I think that Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the most special talents in the 2023 NFL Draft. He has athleticism that is rare to see from a player at the collegiate level. Gibbs is also a very smart and instinctual player that will always want to improve his game. His competitiveness is something that I love to see from an NFL prospect because it shows he will never give up. Meanwhile, if he can work on his body control in the passing game before the draft, his stock will rise.

 

Player Comparison

This one is too easy, but he reminds me of Alvin Kamara. These two are both elite in the run game and passing game. The only difference between the two is that Gibbs will likely have a faster 40-time by a fourth of a second.

 

Jahmyr Gibbs Scouting Report Analyst – Matthew Lewis