Washington Redskins RB Derrius Guice has everything to prove

When he reached high school, Derrius Guice enrolled at Baton Rouge Catholic High School, with the intent of making a name for himself on a bigger stage.

The transition between communities bore a heavy weight on Guice. His background rendered him the subject of intense scrutiny from his class mates. Still with limited resources, and a disconnect at his new place of education, Guice chose to speak with his play, rather than his words.

On the field, Guice was the loudest there was. As a high school senior, Guice stood at a punishing 5-foot-11, 215. He was stronger than everyone else. He was faster than everyone else. And his anger never left him.

Guice’s success, over time, garnered the attention of various premier football programs across the country, and by the end of his senior season, Guice, a four-star prospect, had scholarship offers from Texas, Alabama, and LSU, among others.

The boy from Baton Rouge decided to stay close to home, and after playing in limited action as a true freshman, he erupted onto the college football scene in 2016, rushing for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on 183 carries, in relief of an injured Leonard Fournette. Injuries held Guice back in his first year as the full-time starter, but he still ran for over 1,250 yards and ten touchdowns, logging an average yards per carry of 5.3.

Guice’s stats alone were attractive to evaluators, but even more coveted was the way he played the game. Guice left nothing on the field when he got the ball. He was relentless, showing not only a willingness to make contact, but a hunger for it. Guice showed the evaluators a complete running  back with the best kind of mentality. It came as no surprise that, on the eve of draft day, he was one of the best running backs in the draft.

But despite his efforts, Guice was not afforded the same recognition as his positional counterparts on April 26. The Bottom came back to haunt him.