The offseason never sleeps.
The NFL season might be over, but there’s still plenty of football to pay attention to.
Later this month, in Indianapolis, Indiana, the NFL Scouting Combine will take place, featuring both widely-renowned prospects and little-known players. At the combine, scouts will get a close look at players’ natural talents and limitations alike, and they’ll get a chance to speak one-on-one with prospects, to assess their mental acumen as well.
In the days leading up to this event, we’ll keep you affiliated with some of the draft’s stars and sleepers alike. Because when it’s all said and done, every pick matters, and no player should be left unacknowledged. They’re in the conversation for a reason. Because there’s a chance they can truly play at the next level.
Today, our subject is one of the Washington Redskins’ many options with the No. 13 pick. Since Jacob started out with his favorite prospect, I’ll do the same. It’s on! Today, we’ll take a close look at LSU running back Derrius Guice. What does he do well? Where can he improve? Can he give the Washington Redskins the running game they’ve lacked for so long? Turn the page, and take a look.
What Derrius Guice does well
Don’t be fooled by the doubters. Derrius Guice is not a power back. That title doesn’t do him justice.
Guice has all the tools to be an effective two-down back (at least) in the NFL. The successor of recent top five pick Leonard Fournette, Guice is arguably a better running back than the Jaguars’ starter.
At 5-foot-11, 218, Guice offers very good size at the position. He’s big enough to withstand contact, but his mobility hardly suffers as a result. Guice is decisive at the line of scrimmage, using active feet to make sharp cuts. Guice’s burst isn’t the best in the draft, but he’s far from average. He can beat the best athletes with his quickness out of the gate.
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Guice cruises through contact. It isn’t uncommon to see him carrying one to three defenders on his back while gaining extra yards. Guice’s balance is matched by a mere few in this draft class. He has the uncanny ability to stay on his feet and keep the play alive, something Washington Redskins running backs have struggled with in recent years. He has the lateral quickness to keep his opportunities alive, and he has the brute strength to capitalize.
While some may say that Guice leaves plenty to be desired as a pass catcher, this is false. Guice has plenty of ability as a pass catcher out of the backfield. He’s not perfect in this regard, as we’ll explain later on, but he doesn’t have prevalent drop issues, and while running after the catch, he brings all the benefits that his team enjoys when letting him run.
In Guice, any given NFL team would have an energetic runner who can start and thrive on day one. For the Washington Redskins, Guice, a complete back, would provide a perfect compliment to third down back Chris Thompson, and he’d effectively fill the team’s need at a very important position. He doesn’t even turn 21 until June, and for running backs, who usually tick out at around 30 years of age, time is very much a valuable asset.
Where Derrius Guice can improve
As good as Guice may be, even he has his own deficiencies.
Much like Kelley and Perine, Guice sometimes leaves yards on the field by lowering his head and trucking defenders, rather than keeping his eyes up and searching for cut lanes to lead him upfield. Unlike Kelley and Perine, however, Guice doesn’t do this on every play. But nonetheless, it’s an issue that deserves some monitoring from running backs coach Randy Jordan.
Going off of this, Guice may choose to do this, rather than stretch to the outside, because he doesn’t quite have the speed to beat the edge on outside runs. In open space, he has the breakaway speed to best defenders in a race to the end zone. But running to the side and waiting for a window to cut upfield might not be in Guice’s skill set. Not consistently, anyway. Guice can create for himself going up the middle, but in these kinds of situations, he won’t be as dependable.
Returning to Guice’s ability as a receiver, he has no trouble with catching and running with the ball. Rather, Guice’s issue with pass catching lies in his ability as a route runner. In this regard, Guice can only be described as subpar. His route tree is very basic, and while its not Guice’s primary function to be a route runner, there are other running backs who have this ability. Without this, Guice might not be freed up as often when splitting out as a receiver, and work must be done to help him improve here.
Last but not least, Guice has mild injury concerns that prevented him from consistently finding the field in 2017, and as far as pass protection goes, he’s no better than average. He has a willingness to protect, but he sometimes relies on tripping up the rusher, rather than engaging them with his power.
These aren’t reasons not to draft Guice, but these are also factors that shouldn’t be forgotten, even by the most fervent supporters of the LSU running back (this guy). So now we know what Guice brings to the table, and what he lacks. Now the question is simple. Is he worth the No. 13 pick?
The Washington Redskins should draft Guice if they don’t see Perine or Kelley as the answer.
Ultimately, if the Washington Redskins make no running back acquisitions in free agency, and if they don’t see themselves having a future with Perine or Kelley as a starter, then they should pull the trigger on Guice, unless Saquon Barkley manages to drop to No. 13 (which could very well happen).
Guice would give the Washington Redskins a true NFL running back. He has the physicality to body the biggest defenders, and he has the quickness and the focus at the line to make the most out of every run. His patience can be worked on, but at it stands right now, he would be a mid-tier starter in the NFL, right out of the gate. And the potential for quick and prosperous growth is there.
To put it in simple terms, Guice is a high-floor, high-upside prospect who is still 20 years old. With the Washington Redskins, he can start right away, and with the maulers on the offensive line, like Trent Williams, Chase Roullier, Brandon Scherff, and Morgan Moses, Guice can be elite.
Next: Why Redskins RB Samaje Perine is no more than a backup
Don’t treat Guice as another Robert Kelley, or another Samaje Perine, or even another Marshawn Lynch. Guice is more than a power back. He’s a complete back. And in 2018, one lucky NFL team will find that out for themselves. The Washington Redskins should do everything in their power to be that team.