Antonio Gibson is the best rookie running back in the NFL

Antonio Gibson is establishing himself as the best rookie running back in the entire NFL.

A star was born on Thanksgiving, as Washington rookie running back Antonio Gibson exploded with a massive game on a national stage against the Dallas Cowboys. In the Thanksgiving Day game, Gibson carried the ball 20 times for 115 yards and three touchdowns. He was a consistent playmaker for Washington on the ground, impressing the large national audience and undoubtedly raising his profile around the league.

Antonio Gibson has become a larger part of the Washington offense in recent weeks and appears to be setting himself as an important player on the team for years to come. Through the first 11 games of Gibson’s career, he has carried the ball 139 times for 645 yards and 11 touchdowns.

His 11 rushing touchdowns on the year is the second-most in entire NFL, giving him obvious value as a player with the ball in his hands. Gibson has also been able to make an impact as a safety valve receiver out of the backfield, catching 32 passes on 39 targets for 233 yards on the year.

Gibson was a third-round selection by Washington in the 2020 NFL Draft and was the seventh running back off of the board. While guys like Clyde Edwards-Helaire, D’Andre Swift and Jonathan Taylor and J.K. Dobbins all have plenty of long-term upside, Antonio Gibson has been the best running back in the class through the early part of their careers. And as great as Gibson is, he is just getting started.

Untapped potential as a receiver

Gibson was essentially a wide receiver in college, taking most of his snaps out of the slot at Memphis. He showed obvious playmaking ability with the ball in his hands, which led to him getting draft, but Gibson’s draft status was likely hurt by his lack of opportunity in college.

That being said, Washington did a great job of spotting his talent and moving him to his best position when he arrived. Early in the year, Washington played Gibson sparingly and he struggled to find holes in the running game. Now that he has grown into the position a bit, his vision has improved and his fantastic overall skill-set is consistently shining through.

Washington is still holding back Gibson a bit, primarily using him as an early-down back. They give J.D. McKissic most of the work on obvious passing downs, limiting Gibson’s ability to make an impact in the passing game. This guy was basically a full-time wide receiver in college, you better believe that he will make more of an impact as a receiver out of the backfield once he gets that opportunity.

Simply put, Gibson has been fantastic this season and undoubtedly has room to grow as a player. He is the best rookie running back in the league and has a chance to quickly grow into one of the premier players at the entire position with more opportunity.