NFL Combine 2018: 3 running backs for the Redskins to watch

LSU always seems to produce great running backs. From Leonard Fournette to Spencer Ware to Jeremy Hill, the team has pumped out starters over the course of the past five years. The latest in that line of solid backs is Derrius Guice.

Guice was the lead back for the Tigers after the departure of Fournette, and he is coming off an excellent season. Guice averaged 5.3 yards per carry for 1,251 yards and scored 11 touchdowns on the ground. He also caught 18 passes for 124 yards and two scores. Guice has the potential to be a very good lead back, as his strong balance and ability to run between the tackles will afford him an opportunity to quickly become a quality starter.

Guice happens to be a favorite of our own Ian Cummings, who has previously mocked Guice to the Redskins in the first round, and said the following of him in a recent piece about his first round chances.

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"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. 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."

For Guice, the most important thing that he will have to prove at the Combine is that he can be a quality pass catcher. He only caught 32 passes during his college career, and while he has shown capable ability to run after the catch, he needs to ensure that he can play well out of the backfield and make catches. How he performs in the catching drills will be the big thing to watch for him.

With a strong Combine, Guice should move into top 20 consideration. As it stands, he appears to be a late first rounder, but he will get a stock up if he can flash his skill set this week.