The Detroit Lions didn’t seem to care about the trend of not taking running backs in the first round.
They turned plenty of heads when they took Jahmyr Gibbs, especially because they already seemed to be all set in the backfield.
Fast forward to today, and it was clearly the best decision.
Gibbs is the ultimate tackle-breaker, a true workhorse, and a promising player.
But above all those things, he’s a speedster.
That was evident in a tweet shared by ESPN Fantasy Sports (via Next Gen Stats), which showed just how insanely fast he is.
Apparently, he reached a top speed of 22.03 mph on a 70-yard touchdown run last season.
That made him the only player to hit at least 22 mph on a rushing play last season.
Jahmyr Gibbs reached a top speed of 22.03 mph on this 70-yard touchdown run 🔥
He is the only player to hit 22 mph on a rushing play last season 😳
(via @Lions, @NextGenStats)pic.twitter.com/wtgqkIW8ZR
— ESPN Fantasy Sports (@ESPNFantasy) July 13, 2025
Since entering the league, Gibbs has operated well and efficiently as a part of a running back committee.
Having David Montgomery by his side has helped the Lions wear opposing defenses down, giving them different looks and setting the table for Gibbs to break out for big gains.
Nevertheless, while having him with another lead back might be the way to go and to make sure that he stays fresh and healthy, he also dominated in the two games Montgomery was out last season.
The Lions lost offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to the Chicago Bears’ head coaching position in the offseason, but Gibbs should continue to be a primary source of offense for Dan Campbell’s team for as long as he’s healthy.
