Antonio Gibson Will Help the Redskins Now

As the Washington Redskins were on the clock for pick No. 66 in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, several players were still available that could help the team and its many needs.

Instead of Kyle Smith going the safe route and choosing a player like Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones — who some believed would sneak into the first round — he stayed true to his board and chose positionless Antonio Gibson of Memphis.

Positionless?

Well, yes. In Gibson’s final season at Memphis in 2019, he carried the football 33 times for 369 yards and four touchdowns. Gibson also caught 38 passes for 735 yards and eight more scores. He averaged over 19 yards per catch.

At the Combine, Gibson measured in at 6-feet-0, 228 pounds, and ran a blazing 4.39 40-yard dash. Gibson’s build is of a running back, while his speed is similar to some of the top deep threats in the entire NFL.

Gibson is a player who can contribute immediately for the Redskins next season. Sure, he’s not a great route runner, but in today’s NFL, you don’t have to run precise routes to be a dangerous weapon on the field.

Washington offensive coordinator Scott Turner reportedly loved Gibson and envisions finding many different ways to get him the football. He can line up in the slot, the backfield, split wide or in motion, and become a safety valve for quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

Turner coached Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel in Carolina and found creative and unique ways to get them the football, especially Samuel. McCaffrey is arguably the game’s top running back and head coach Ron Rivera didn’t shy away from seeing some of McCaffrey in Gibson.

Where will Gibson line up at in 2020? Rivera was asked that question on Friday and said he expected him to contribute on special teams immediately and have a few plays per game on offense. That sounds eerily similar to Washington’s plan for Terry McLaurin one year ago. As we know, McLaurin proved to be too good to even see the field on special teams.

Could Gibson follow in his footsteps?

The Redskins, with McLaurin, Gibson and Steven Sims, are much faster on offense than one year ago. And Gibson, with his running back skills, could prove to be a nightmare for opponents in the open field.

Antonio Gibson broke 33 tackles on 77 career touches at Memphis and ran a 4.39 at the combine. He could legitimately be the best RB in this class but we just didn't get to see him
— Mike Renner (@mikerenner_) April 25, 2020

In the following play, watch Gibson take the handoff from the quarterback, go left, make a few guys miss and take it to the house. This play shows Gibson’s vision, balance, power and speed all in one play.

#Redskins 3rd round pick Antonio Gibson has the ability to break a play at any moment. Home run hitter as well as versatile weapon pic.twitter.com/CDBdWGFEcx
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) April 25, 2020

Imagine running a two-back set with either Adrian Peterson or Derrius Guice in the backfield with Gibson. The possibilities are endless.

Gibson can also show his power, elusiveness and breakaway speed on the same play as he does here. Watch Gibson as he breaks multiple tackles, then a defensive back gets a read on him and Gibson puts an Allen Iverson crossover on him and the rest is history as he takes it to the house.

#AntonioGibson could be McLaurin-esque 3rd-rd steal. 2019: 19.3 yds/catch, 11.2(!) yds/rush, 12 TDs on 71 touches. Offers position flex, which Ron loves. Comes to #Redskins w/ little wear & tear. Can provide what #Skins have sorely lacked: explosive plays. pic.twitter.com/a5WAoOnoUZ
— Al Galdi (@AlGaldi) April 25, 2020

Or, you could just line Gibson up in the slot and have him beat the cornerback for a touchdown.

While the Redskins have loaded up on the defensive side of the ball in recent years, the offense still needed more playmakers around McLaurin. Gibson certainly fits that bill.

If Gibson’s college tape is any indication of what is around the corner, the Redskins could have one of the steals of the 2020 NFL Draft.

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Bryan Manning has covered the NFL, MLB, NBA, college football and college basketball for almost 10 years for various outlets such as Bleacher Report, SB Nation, FanSided, USA Today SMG, and others. Bryan has covered the Washington Redskins for different outlets and currently co-hosts a podcast on the Virginia Tech Hokies for SB Nation. For his day job, Bryan works in engineering for a major communications company.