One of the big assets for Jahmyr Gibbs is the Lions RB’s ability in the passing game. Gibbs is lightning quick in short areas and lethal in the open field. At Alabama, Gibbs was a definite receiving weapon, catching 44 passes for 444 yards in his final year for the Crimson Tide.
Yet as a rookie, Gibbs failed to deliver on the lofty receiving promise. Gibbs caught an impressive 52 passes in his first season in Detroit, but the volume quantity didn’t really produce a lot of quality for the Lions offense.
Only 20 of those 52 receptions produced first downs, a very low conversion rate. He also led all running backs in dropped passes with eight, according to data from NFL Inside Edge.
Gibbs didn’t exactly face a great degree of difficulty on his passing targets, either. His yards per target at the end of the season reveal a very simplistic and largely ineffective receiver.
Gibbs gained just 28 total receiving yards in the final four weeks last year on 13 passing targets. That 2.2 yards per target figure in that range was the lowest of any running back who saw at least 10 balls thrown his way.
The pass to the running back is a big staple of Ben Johnson’s offense, and Gibbs has shown the potential to be a major weapon. His rookie season did not necessarily live up to the hype on the reveiving front, however. It would be great if Gibbs could emerge as a more reliable and dangerous receing weapon.