Detroit Lions take Jahmyr Gibbs with the No. 12 overall pick in NFL Draft

A third Alabama player is off the board. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs became the latest Crimson Tide player to come off the board during Day 1 of the draft Thursday night. He follows quarterback Bryce Young who went No. 1 overall and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr., who was selected No. 3 overall by the Houston Texans. This is the third time in four years Alabama has had three players selected in the top 15 picks.

Gibbs transferred to Alabama from Georgia Tech last offseason. In his lone season with the Crimson Tide, the 5-foot-9, 199-pound back averaged 6.13 yards per carry, rushing for a team-high 926 yards and seven touchdowns. He also recorded 444 yards and three scores on a team-high 44 receptions. In addition to his offensive contribution, Gibbs averaged 19.85 yards on 13 kickoff returns.

“It’s awesome blocking for a guy like Jahmyr,” former Alabama Emil Ekiyor Jr. said last season. “He can make a lot of things happen on his own, but we just get a hat on a hat, give him a little crease, he can make some things happen.”

Gibbs was the second running back off the board, following Texas' Bijan Robinson, who went No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons. That bucks a recent trend of NFL teams shying away from backs in the first round.

Gibbs is Alabama's second-highest drafted running back in the Nick Saban era, trailing only Trent Richardson, who went No. 3 overall to the Indianapolis Colts in 2012.