NFC East rookie comparison: Derrius Guice vs. Saquon Barkley

The Washington Redskins weren’t the only NFC East team to add a premier running back this offseason.

Throughout the draft process, Saquon Barkley and Derrius Guice were commonly labeled as the No. 1 and No. 2 running backs in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Barkley, at Penn State, flashed his rare athletic talents while lighting up the stat sheets, ending the season as a Heisman contender and a scouting darling, possessing a versatile skill set that has him primed to succeed in the modern NFL.

Guice, a product of the LSU Tigers, is a splash of old-school football, mixed with today’s electric game speed. Guice isn’t the athlete that Barkley is, but he’s no slouch in that regard, and as a pure runner, he’s just as, if not more proficient.

Both players have high expectations. Barkley’s come naturally, as he was drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Giants; they passed over potential long-term stability at quarterback to grab Barkley, clearly expressing that they expect him to start and be a key part of their offense right away.

Guice has a different kind of pressure on his shoulders. Widely viewed a first-round prospect, based on his tape, Guice slid through the second round on the heels of seemingly-baseless character concerns. He eventually landed with the Washington Redskins, where he will set out to prove those who doubted him, and those who passed on him because of his perceived character issues, very, very wrong.

Both running backs have the potential to take the league by storm in their rookie seasons, but how do they compare? How does each back’s situation compliment their skill set, and what can we expect from them in 2018? In football, everything’s a competition. How do Guice and Barkley, now in the NFL, stack up against one another?