Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs said he was shocked when the Detroit Lions chose him with the 12th selection in the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

He wasn’t the only one.

Lions general manager Brad Holmes understands the surprise, but he wasn’t going to miss out on getting “one of his handful of favorite players in the draft.”

In the previous four NFL drafts, four running backs had been drafted in the first round – none sooner than 24th, which is where former Alabama ball-carriers Josh Jacobs went in 2019 and Najee Harris went in 2021.

But on Thursday night, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Texas running back Bijan Robinson at No. 9, and three picks later, Detroit took Gibbs.

“I didn’t know I was going to get picked as high as I did,” Gibbs said, “because running backs don’t really get picked this high in this new age, new era of the NFL Draft. Yeah, it was pretty shocking to me. But I’m grateful. …

“I thought like in the 20s. That’s where, like, they usually are, running backs, so I was still just talking to my friends when the call hit me, and I was shocked. I thought the 20s, really.”

Gibbs ran for 926 yards and seven touchdowns on 151 carries and caught 44 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns for the Crimson Tide in 2022, and the Lions view him as more than a ball-carrier, Holmes said.

“It’s not about don’t pick a running back because that’s not how we really view him,” Holmes said. “… I understand, if you look at just analytics and numbers, you look at it like running back – you know what I mean? You look at it very static in numbers and black and white, then I can see where somebody would come up that, but when you come across a special player like that and you’re convicted, you just get him.”

Detroit made another old-school pick at No. 18, when they took Iowa’s Jack Campbell, a heavy-hitting middle linebacker. Two picks and two positions not in vogue with draftniks for the Lions.

“They’re football players,” Holmes said. “If you believe that they can have an impact for you on the football field, then you just go ahead and take them.”

Gibbs said he was grateful the Lions had that kind of conviction about his ability to help the team.

“I appreciate the owner, the coaching staff for having that trust in me,” Gibbs said. “I’m going to do everything in my power for the city of Detroit, for our football team to live up to expectations.”

Detroit’s selection of Gibbs made it two years in a row that the Lions used the No. 12 choice on an Alabama player. In 2021, Detroit took Tide wide receiver Jameson Williams at No. 12.

“That’s obviously one of the most respected programs in college football,” Holmes said. “I got a ton of respect for coach (Nick) Saban and what he does down there, and you kind of know what kind of product that he’s putting out, what kind of football player he’s putting out. …

“That’s a tough conference to play in, and the type of production that he was able to get coming just from Georgia Tech, Year 1 at Alabama, he made his presence felt early and had a really good year.”

Gibbs joins the Lions after running back Jamaal Williams departed Detroit for the New Orleans Saints in free agency. Williams ran for 1,066 yards on 262 carries and led the NFL with 17 rushing touchdowns last season for Detroit.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.