NFL bound: Detroit Lions draft Dalton native Jahmyr Gibbs

DALTON, Ga. — Football star Jahmyr Gibbs' fan base began in his hometown of Dalton.

Then, it expanded to the entire state of Alabama.

It's about to grow even bigger, up north in Detroit, Michigan.

That's because the Detroit Lions picked Gibbs as a 12th round draft pick on Thursday.

ESPN analyst and NFL draft prognosticator Mel Kiper Jr. had Gibbs going 28th to the Cincinnati Bengals.

But when Gibbs was taken 12th by the Detroit Lions, the experts' jaws dropped.

Gibbs' explosive running ability and his ability as a receiver out of the backfield made him a running back the Lions felt they could take a chance on.

Even Gibbs was surprised.

"Yeah, I thought like in the 20s because that's where it is usually for running backs," Gibbs said.

The Lions valued Gibbs' character and all-around production in college, where he finished with over 2,100 rushing yards and 1,200 receiving yards while scoring 23 total touchdowns after splitting time at Georgia Tech (2020-21) and Alabama (2022).

"I feel great," Gibbs said. "I didn't know I would get picked as high as I did because running backs don't get picked as high in this new age and new era of the NFL draft, but it was pretty shocking to me. But I'm grateful for the city of Detroit."

Depend on us to continue to cover Gibbs' already-stellar football career.