Antonio Gibson played wide receiver and running back in college and did well enough to convince the Washington Football Team to draft him in the third round last year.
Once he hit the NFL, Gibson was moved to the backfield full-time and the results were good. He ran for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns, caught 36 passes and established himself as the top back on the team.
This offseason offered Gibson a chance to work on his running back skills, but Gibson told Tyler Dunne of Go Long that he doesn’t want his transformation to take away the instincts that he used to thrive as a receiver in college.
“Robotic,” Gibson said. “I feel that’s what a lot of running backs do. When they grow up, all they do is running back. They’re stuck in that world of downhill running or make-a-cut-and-go. I feel that’s what makes me different going from receiver to running back. I make the extra cut. I’m not scared to make the extra cut. I’m not scared to make somebody miss in the backfield, and then try to get north. Or get shifty. Try to make a play. That’s what puts me over the edge of a lot of folks.”
Gibson said he was just “touching the water” as a rookie and has his eyes on “something special” for his second season in the league. Reaching that goal would make the decision to go all in on playing running back look all the wiser.