ESPN: NFL Execs Compare Jahmyr Gibbs to Alvin Kamara, Predict Lions RB to Win OROY

Detroit Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs is expected to have a big 2023 season, and NFL executives are raving about his potential ahead of the team's Week 1 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Monday on SportsCenter that NFL executives are comparing Gibbs to New Orleans Saints veteran Alvin Kamara, adding that they believe he will win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award:

"Jahmyr Gibbs, 12th overall pick, is a trendy pick preseason-wise by the execs I talked to for the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Teams believe he's going to have a major impact on the Lions' offense, kind of like Alvin Kamara has for the Saints as a pass catcher out of the backfield. I was in training camp with the Lions a few weeks ago, he looks really good, natural as a pass catcher. So, he will be a big part of what the Lions do Thursday night."

The Lions selected Gibbs in the first round of the 2023 draft out of Alabama, where he put together an impressive 2022 campaign for head coach Nick Saban. In 12 games, he rushed for 926 yards and seven touchdowns, in addition to catching 44 passes for 444 yards and three scores.

Gibbs is very similar to Kamara in his ability to be effective both on the ground and in the passing game.

Kamara, who was the 2017 Offensive Rookie of the Year, is coming off a solid 2022 season in which he rushed for 897 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games, in addition to catching 57 passes for 490 yards and two scores.

When the 28-year-old was a rookie, he rushed for 728 yards and eight touchdowns, in addition to catching 81 passes for 826 yards and five scores in 16 games. He was the first running back since Todd Gurley in 2015 to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Gibbs is expected to be a major asset for the Lions, and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson hinted on Saturday that Detroit could get creative with how it deploys the running back this year.

"We might use Gibbs in some ways that people don't quite think we might," Johnson told reporters.

Gibbs and the Lions will face one of their biggest tests of the season in Week 1 against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs on Thursday.