It wasn’t that he wasn’t an elite prospect, but not many teams use first-round picks on running backs anymore, let alone teams that already had an established RB corps, or so we thought.

The Lions wound up shaking things off and rolling with Gibbs and veteran David Montgomery this season, and they drew some criticism and mockery for not getting their rookie RB involved early in the campaign.

But as the year has gone by and the Alabama product has gotten healthy and better, he’s made a great impression in a limited sample size.

That’s why team legend Barry Sanders raved about him and claimed that he’s finally starting to see why they were so excited about him when they took him in the draft.

Talking to SiriusXM NFL Radio, Sanders lauded Gibbs’ speed and ability to break tackles, adding that he’s got a great vision and looks like the kind of player who can always make a big play every time he’s on the field.

Gibbs hasn’t been used as early and often as most fans would’ve wanted, especially considering we’re talking about a No. 12 pick.

But it seems like he has a bright future ahead of him, and his dual-threat skill set will make him a valuable asset for years to come.

He already has Sanders’ stamp of approval, and it doesn’t get any better than that if you’re a young running back in this league