Tide's Jahmyr Gibbs goes 12th to Detroit Lions

Alabama had three players chosen in round 1 of the NFL Draft. The third player to go may have been the most surprising.

There were mock drafts that had Jahmyr Gibbs going in the first round. 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.

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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."

Brian Branch was selected by the Lions in the second round of the draft Friday night. The Lions now have a long list of players from Alabama on its roster with Branch and Gibbs joining Isaiah Buggs, Ross Pierschbacher, Savion Smith and Jameson Williams.