The Lions raised some eyebrows last month when they drafted running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick.
Gibbs was a productive player at Alabama, but teams have gone away from using high draft picks on running backs in recent years and few predicted Gibbs would buck that trend before the Lions handed in their pick. That led to some criticism of the team’s decision-making process, but Gibbs said he was not paying any mind to those who felt that way.
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, I really don’t care,” Gibbs said, via Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News. “It feels great to be a part of something special. Going up, moving forward, it’ll be fun to watch.”
Gibbs didn’t practice on Saturday because of an ankle injury, but there’s no thought that it’s a serious issue for the rookie. The Lions will be hoping that no other aches and pains get in the way of Gibbs’ ascent to a major role in their offense.