The Detroit Lions had a very good draft class this year albeit with a bit of a head scratcher in the first round. It was nothing against Gibbs we liked him a lot, but we did not feel that a running back was what Detroit really needed. That being said a few of their top picks from this class all looked good and were big reasons why the Lions upset the Chiefs in week 1 (besides Kadarius Toney of course).
Jahmyr Gibbs- 7 Carries/42 Yards, 2 Catches/18 Yards
It was a limited sample size as David Montgomery dominated the carries. But, Gibbs looked very good in his limited touched. Detroit is going to have to get him more involved to show that he was worth the selection, but he showed a great blend of speed and power that drew his comps to Alvin Kamara.
Sam LaPorta- 5 Catches/39 Yards
Despite Josh Reynolds having 80 yards, LaPorta looked like the number 2 option in the offense behind Amon-Ra. We expected LaPorta to play the big slot role and while he did get snaps out wide, he played a ton on the line. This is not something we expected so soon but is a great sign that LaPorta made strides in his blocking. We have him as our dark horse rookie of the year for a reason, as LaPorta should continue to grow as the season goes on.
Brian Branch- 2 TT, 1 Pick 6
Branch left early due to injury, which is reported to be bad cramping. However he made his presence known before leaving. While it was a perfect pass and Toney should have caught it, Branch was in the right place and picked the deflection off and housed it.
Jack Campbell- 2 TT, 1 PD
Campbell has been challenged all preseason according to reports, and he may be having a steeper learning curve than many thought. He was not on the field nearly as much as we expected, but made his mark known with an incredible pass breakup in which the following play was the Branch pick-6. This is the game-changing play that may not go as noticed since it was followed up by the touchdown, but it was just as important. Look for Campbell to continue to get more playing time if he holds up in coverage.