2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

November 27, 2022 1:00 PM EST

Evaluated by: Sam Teets
sam.teets86@gmail.com
Twitter: Sam_Teets33
November 27, 2022

Prospect Overview

2021: 7 games (GA Tech)
2021: 12 games (GA Tech)
2022: 10 games to date (Alabama)

Gibbs was a four-star recruit from Dalton High School in Dalton, Ga. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 76 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 70 for Rivals, and No. 79 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 178th in the nation with an 82 grade out of 100.

As a high school senior, Gibbs ran for 2,554 yards and 40 touchdowns. He left high school with 4,882 rushing yards and 70 rushing touchdowns. Gibbs earned First-Team All-State honors and was Georgia's 6-A Offensive Player of the Year in 2019 and 2020. He was selected for the 2020 All-American Bowl in San Antonio.

Gibbs transferred from Georgia Tech to Alabama in the spring of 2022. He received the torch as the Crimson Tide's next great running back, taking over for Washington Commanders draft selection Brian Robinson Jr. Gibbs is very different than previous Alabama running backs. Instead of doing damage between the tackles and grinding for yards after contact, Gibbs is a dynamic, twitchy athlete who does his best work in space.

Gibbs earned various accolades while at Georgia Tech. He was a 2020 All-ACC honorable mention, 2020 Second-Team Freshman All-American for The Athletic, 2021 Third-Team All-ACC selection, and 2021 Second-Team All-American (all-purpose) for the Associated Press.

Through ten games, Gibbs leads the Crimson Tide with 1,144 yards from scrimmage. No other Alabama player has more than 600 yards from scrimmage. Gibbs leads the team in receptions (40), ranks second in targets (47), and is third in receiving yards (370), trailing Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton by just five receiving yards.

Gibbs produced 774 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns on 119 carries through Alabama's first ten games to accompany his 40 receptions for 370 yards and three additional scores. Gibbs also played on special teams, returning eight kicks for 168 yards (21 yards per attempt).

Positives

Gibbs (unofficially listed at 5'11", 200 lbs.) is a dynamic and versatile offensive weapon who raises the offensive floor of teams by creating mismatches. The junior returns kicks and takes snaps in the slot. Gibbs is a sturdy receiver with fewer than five drops in his college career despite more than 120 targets. He makes catches outside his frame and shows good concentration when defenders close in on him.

Gibbs generates significant yards after the catch because of his acceleration, burst, and twitch. These traits also translate to his work as a running back. Gibbs' burst allows him to reach the second and third levels of the defense, creating opportunities for long touchdown runs. He uses his acceleration to get north-south and pull away from defenders in the open field. His juice eliminates angles on outside runs and puts defenders in trail positions.

The Georgia native uses tempo on outside runs to freeze defenders before hitting the accelerator. Gibbs is a twitchy runner with a loose lower body who frequently makes defenders miss in a phone booth. He stops or cuts on dimes, breaking ankles and creating space to operate. Gibbs isn't a very large back, but he has enough contact balance to break lower body arm tackles.

Gibbs' ability to put his foot in the ground and make a forceful cut is among the best in this draft class. His agility, footwork, flexibility, overall athletic ability, and diverse skill set make him perfect for modern NFL offenses.

While he's best on outside runs, Gibbs has the vision and patience to contribute between the tackles.

Areas for Improvement

Gibbs is an excellent prospect, but there are several areas where he needs to improve. The transfer has a few wins in pass protection on tape, but that's an area of weakness in his game. Gibbs lacks the play strength, technique, and pre/post-snap diagnosis skills to perform well in pass protection consistently.

The true junior even crossed the face of a blitzing linebacker against Texas (2022), failed to recognize the threat, and kept moving toward the right tackle, allowing for an easy sack on Bryce Young. He also has a bad habit of ducking his head into contact as a blocker.

Gibbs runs a little high, although he seems to be playing with a better pad level at Alabama than at Georgia Tech. Pad level is important for a player like Gibbs, considering it's unlikely he'll ever get his weight up from 200 lbs. into the 210-215 lb. range.

Gibbs excels when he reaches the perimeter, and he knows it. The Alabama running back tries to bounce too many of his runs outside and sometimes ignores cutback lanes in the middle of the field. He wants to hit and turn the corner, even if it means abandoning his blockers.

The Georgia Tech transfer displays patience when running between the tackles, but sometimes he's too patient. Gibbs needs to learn when to hit the hole at full power and take what he can get. He sometimes struggles to sort his way through crowds of defenders when running between the tackles and is much more comfortable operating in space on the perimeter.

Gibbs hasn't fumbled in his first ten games with the Crimson Tide, but he fumbled twice in each campaign with the Yellow Jackets. He carries a ton of upside as a pass catcher but could be more aggressive attacking the football in the air.

Draft Stock

I gave Gibbs a mid second to early third round evaluation over the summer based on his tape at Georgia Tech. He's easily outplayed that grade this season and sits at No. 19 on my latest top 200 big board (not accounting for positional value). Gibbs is a first round talent, but the NFL's view on running backs and positional value could lead to the former four-star recruit falling into the second round.

The true junior will contend for a selection at the back end of the first round. At worst, he'll hear his name called in the top 50 selections. Entering the draft in the same year as Bijan Robinson, a more physical and complete back who happens to be the position's best prospect since Saquon Barkley, won't help Gibbs' chances of going in the first round.

Georgia Tech didn't give Gibbs a chance to succeed as a runner. He still showcased his elite athleticism as a receiver, but the Yellow Jackets didn't have the offensive line to open holes. Alabama's offensive line is far from dominant this season, but it's a significant step up from the Georgia Tech line that blocked for some horrendous rushing performances (like against Pittsburgh in 2021).

Despite the upgraded offensive line, concerns remain about Gibbs' ability to create between the tackles. He's not a fit for every scheme and needs a sturdy offensive line to avoid being contacted in the backfield. However, performances like the ones Gibbs had against Arkansas, Tennessee, and Texas A&M in 2022 should keep him in the first round discussion.

Player Comparison

Comparing Gibbs to Alvin Kamara as a prospect is almost cliche at this point, but there are some valid parts to the argument. Kamara's yards per carry have dropped over the past two seasons as he sees more rushing attempts per game, but the workload he handled as a rookie (120 carries and 81 receptions) is a blueprint for how NFL teams should use Gibbs.

The biggest knock against this comparison is that Kamara was a much denser prospect than Gibbs. The Tennessee product weighed in at the NFL Combine at 5'10", 214 lbs. Kamara's density and contact balance were apparent on tape. He still wasn't an elite creator between the tackles, but the former All-Pro was more effective and better suited for the role than Gibbs.

Gibbs and Kamara have many similarities when comparing their prospect profiles. Both were high-end receiving threats in college with natural hands. Their burst, creative and elusive running styles in space, and twitch made them dynamic options. Gibbs and Kamara showcased their versatility by lining up in the slot, occasionally playing out wide, and working as return men on special teams.

Kamara is the best-case comparison for Gibbs. The worst case might be 2022 Buffalo Bills draft selection James Cook. Cook was less twitchy than Gibbs, but he struggled to break tackles and create offense between the tackles against legitimate defenses.

Games Evaluated

• Clemson (2021)
• North Carolina (2021)
• Pittsburgh (2021)
• Duke (2021)
• Notre Dame (2021)
• Arkansas (2022)
• Texas A&M (2022)
• Tennessee (2022)

Scouting Video Courtesy of SickEditzHD