As a rookie running back, first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs has already gotten his first taste of NFL action with the Detroit Lions. His conclusion compared to the training sessions in college in Alabama is surprising.

In the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions have secured the services of running back Jahmyr Gibbs. In the meantime, the rookie was able to get a first impression of working for the franchise – and has drawn an astonishing conclusion.

US journalists asked him to compare the training with the Lions with the units under Nick Saban, head coach at his ex-college Alabama. According to Gibbs, NFL coaches try everything to make their players better. Saban, on the other hand, had tried to push him and his teammates to the limit.

Lions rookie: Saban tried to kill us

“Under Saban, we had to give our all every day. In full kit, two hours in the heat. Here we can train well, but they don’t try to kill us. He did,” the running back said in regards to the most successful US college coach.

Gibbs is not the first former Alabama Crimson Tide player to say that training is easier in the NFL. Saban, for example, is known for running a gruelling strength and conditioning programme and training with full body contact.

Background: the NFL’s players’ union has negotiated that players’ offseason workloads be limited and physical contact restricted. There are no such rules in college football.