The Detroit Lions finished the 2024 season with a 15-2 record and won the NFC North for the second consecutive season. Detroit lost to the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional round.
The Lions will have a different outlook for the 2025 NFL season with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson no longer there and being the head coach of the Chicago Bears. One player who has been dynamic in the Lions offense has been running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs and David Montgomery have been a perfect running back tandem for Detroit. Is Gibbs one of the best running backs in the NFL?
PFF Ranks Detroit Lions Running Back Jahmyr Gibbs As the 10th Best Player Under 25 Years Old In the NFL
The Lions have several players under 25 years old who made pro football focus’s Top 25 players under 25 years old list before the 2025 NFL season. Gibbs was ranked number 10 on this list. However, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson was ranked one spot ahead of him at number nine. Jonathon Macri of profootballfocus.com said,
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- Three-year grade: 90.2
- Snaps played since 2022: 1,371
- Average WAR since 2022: 0.17
Gibbs and Robinson are in a neck-and-neck battle to be the best young running back in the NFL, and they’ll likely continue to be compared to one another throughout their careers after being separated by just four picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The margins in which Gibbs and Robinson differ in PFF grades are also very thin: Gibbs finished one spot behind Robinson in PFF rushing grade in 2024. Gibbs has delivered more than 1,000 rushing yards and at least 400 receiving yards in both of his NFL seasons (postseason included) thus far, with 2024 being his most productive. He ranked inside the top five at his position in both rushing yards (1,412) and receiving yards (517) in the regular season.”
Gibbs is only 23 years old, and he will be entering his third season in the NFL for Detroit. Gibbs rushed for 1,412 yards on 250 carries and 16 touchdowns, along with averaging 5.6 yards per carry. He also caught 52 passes for 517 yards receiving and four touchdowns, along with averaging 9.9 yards per reception.
The Lions star young running back is looking to be one of the top five running backs in the NFL for the 2025 NFL season. With Johnson gone, it will be interesting to see if Gibbs will be able to have the same production out of the backfield or not.
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