Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is heading into his second season with high expectations. After posting 945 rushing yards (5.2 per carry), 316 receiving yards, and 11 total touchdowns in a Pro Bowl rookie season, the sky is the limit for the 22-year-old back.
And it appears that’s a league-wide sentiment. ESPN surveyed a wide variety of NFL executives, coaches, and scouts and asked them to rank their top-10 running backs for the 2024 season, and Gibbs was already crowned a consensus top-10 back. Gibbs ended up finishing eighth in the survey.
“Change of pace. Fast. Elusive. Versatile,” an anonymous AFC executive told ESPN. “Dynamic in the pass game. Not a typical North-South runner you love in a run-heavy offense, but he can break explosive plays at the snap of a finger, which is scary in our league.”
Statistically, Gibbs finished in the top 10 in several categories, including 5.2 yards per carry (fifth), 10 rushing touchdowns (10th), 2.5 yards after contact per rush (second), and 21 broken tackles (t-ninth).
Gibbs highest ranking by the pollsters was third in the NFL, while at least one evaluator had him completely out of the top 10. While that may seem disrespectful to Gibbs, it’s worth noting that only Christian McCaffrey (ranked first) and Saquon Barkley (fourth) were unanimous top-10 running backs in the survey.
Also interesting in the survey: Gibbs’ draftmate Bijan Robinson placed ahead of him at sixth overall, former Lions running back D’Andre Swift was among seven players who received honorable mentions, and David Montgomery—who we profiled earlier on Monday—did receive votes in the survey, but not enough to be placed among the top 17.
You can view the entire list here, but it does require and ESPN+ subscription.