Former Commanders second-round pick looking to revive NFL career

The Washington Commanders haven’t had a great history in the NFL Draft. For every Jonathan Allen, there’s a Dwayne Haskins. For every Terry McLaurin, there’s a Josh Doctson. For every Antonio Gibson, there’s a Bryce Love and so on.

While consistency is extremely difficult to achieve in the draft, there’s no denying Washington has had egregious whiffs over the years.

When you consider the context behind the pick, the front office’s selection of Gibson in the third round of the 2020 Draft is pretty fascinating. After all, the team had spent a second-round pick on LSU product Derrius Guice two years prior.

Of course, Guice didn’t pan out how Washington had hoped. Due to knee injuries and various off-field concerns, the former college star hasn’t played in the NFL since his sophomore season in 2019, when he appeared in five games.

After over two years out of the league, Guice is plotting a comeback. According to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, the former Washington RB auditioned for NFL scouts at the HUB Football Camp in California this past weekend.

Former Commanders RB Derrius Guice wants back in the NFL.

Back in August of 2020, Guice was arrested on domestic violence charges stemming from three separate incidents earlier that year. Per court documents, Guice, pushed his ex-girlfriend to the ground three times.

Washington released Guice hours after his arrest and the league ultimately suspended him for the first six games of 2021.

At that point, the former Tiger’s career looked dead in the water. A year later, though, he reached a settlement with the woman and had four misdemeanor chargers — including three counts of assault and battery — against him dropped.

While a notable development, the settlement didn’t fully clear Guice’s reputation. The running back’s shady history also featured charges of destruction of property and strangulation. During his time at LSU, Guice was accused of sexual assault by two different women and a third alleged he secretly took a nude photo of her and proceeded to reveal the picture to his Tigers teammates, per ESPN.

As a result, LSU banned Guice from its athletic program.

While the extent of Guice’s character issues weren’t fully apparent leading up to the 2018 draft, the concerns were there and Washington — led by then-president and lead decision-maker Bruce Allen — went ahead and drafted him anyway.

The decision to draft Guice begged to blow up in Allen’s face. We’re just shocked his injuries derailed his career before his character concerns came to light.

Regardless, the former second-round pick is eyeing a comeback with his legal issues resolved and two years removed from his knee injuries, which included a torn ACL, torn meniscus and a MCL sprain within a two-year span.

Still just 24 years old, Guice should have plenty left to offer as a running back if his knees cooperate. Whether he garners interest is unclear, but don’t count on Washington being involved, because Ron Rivera’s Panthers were said to be one of the teams who took him off their draft board in 2018 due to his off-field issues.