Lions draft Iowa LB Jack Campbell at pick 18, RB Jahmyr Gibbs at 12 in 1st round

FOX 2 (WJBK) - The Lions ended Thursday night with a trade back to pick 12 from six, and added a piece to the offense and defense from the NFL Draft's First Round Thursday.

The Detroit Lions grabbed game-breaking running back Jahmyr Gibbs of Alabama with pick no. 12 in the first round of the NFL Draft.

At No. 18 of the first round, the Lions selected Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell, the Butkus Award winner and a 1st Team All-American.

On the second day of the draft, Detroit has three second-round picks - coming at 34, 48 and 55. The Lions have one third-round pick at 81.

Campbell is 6 feet, 4 inches and 250 pounds, and plays the inside linebacker position.  Last season he amassed 128 tackles, including 5.5 for loss in 13 starts while winning the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

Gibbs is listed at 5 feet, 9 inches and 199 pounds and is known for his change of ability and pure speed to run away from defenders. He was a third-team AP All-American, and rushed for 2,132 yards and 15 touchdowns in this NCAA career with a 5.6 yards per carry average. 

Last season Gibbs rushed 151 times for 926 yards and 6.1 per carry average with seven TDs in 12 games including 11 starts. He added 44 receptions for 444 yards, 10.1 per catch and three TDs.

 The Lions traded out of the No. 6 pick in the first round with the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals sent the No. 34 pick of the second round and pick 168 in the fifth, to the Lions. Detroit also added pick 81 in the third round to Arizona.

The sixth selection originally came from the Los Angeles Rams completing the 2021 trade package for former quarterback Matthew Stafford.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young went with the No. 1 overall pick to the Carolina Panthers, while the Houston Texans shook up the draft with Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud with the second pick and then traded up to three to pick Alabama defensive end Will Anderson. 

The Cardinals drafted Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson with the Lions' former No. 6 pick. 

2023 NFL First Round Picks

1. Panthers: QB Bryce Young, Alabama

2. Texans: QB CJ Stroud, Ohio State

3. Texans: OLB Will Anderson Jr., Alabama

4. Colts: QB Anthony Richardson, Florida

5. Seahawks: CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois

6. Cardinals: OT Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State

7. Raiders: DE Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech

8. Falcons: RB Bijan Robinson, Texas

9. Eagles: DT Jalen Carter, Alabama

10. Bears: OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee

11. Titans: OT Peter Skronski, Northwestern

12. Lions: RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama

13. Packers: DE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa

14. Steelers: OT Broderick Jones, Georgia

15. Jets: LB Will McDonald IV, Iowa State

16. Commanders: CB Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State

17. Patriots: CB Christian Gonzalez, Oregon

18. Lions: LB Jack Campbell, Iowa

19. Buccaneers: DT Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh

20. Seahawks: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State

21. Chargers: WR Quentin Johnston, TCU

22. Ravens: WR Zay Flowers, Boston College

23. Vikings: WR Jordan Addison, USC

24. Giants: CB Deonte Banks, Maryland

25. Bills: TE Dalton Kincaid, Utah

26. Cowboys: DT Mazi Smith, Michigan

27. Jaguars: Anton Harrison, Oklahoma

28. Bengals: DE Myles Murphy, Clemson

29. Saints: DT Bryan Bresee, Clemson

30. Eagles OLB Nolan Smith, Georgia

31. Chiefs: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Kansas State