Now that the 2018 NFL Draft is complete, dynasty fantasy football decisions are on the line. As a former high school football coach and educator by trade, one of my passions include providing film-based reviews on rookie prospects and focusing on their strengths and weakness which may assist other fantasy football enthusiasts in their evaluations.

After reviewing five of his games, here’s my scouting report on former LSU Tiger and current Washington running back Derrius Guice:

[Note: Most of these game videos are available via YouTube and Draft Breakdown]

RB Derrius Guice, Washington (Pick #59)
5’10” | 212 lbs.
College: LSU

Games Studied

BYU, Florida, Missouri (2016), Louisville (2016)

Cons

During the Draft, Derrius Guice’s character was under attack, he dropped out of the first round, and became the seventh running back selected. It was more than a little surprising as most fantasy and football experts expected him to be the second back taken. One report stated that Guice got into a shouting match with some of the Eagles brass, perhaps during the NFL Combine, but nothing has really been substantiated. We do know he loves video games, and he did save a woman from a car wreck a few weeks before the Draft though. Now, Guice was not used much as a receiver for the LSU Tigers. He had 32 catches for 250 yards. However, if you look back to his high school all-star tape, the running back showed off nice hands and created separation in the open field. His pass blocking certainly needs a lot of work, so Washington may play Guice as more of a two-down back with Chris Thompson on third down duties.

Guice suffered a knee injury that limited his touches during his last collegiate season. He now appears fully recovered, but with his physical style of running, he could be prone to re-injury. The running back rarely runs behind his pads and tends to take more contact than he needs. This brutish style works when you are the biggest and baddest on Saturdays, but it might not necessarily work in the NFL. Guice is a big fan of running to the outside lanes, but his speed has lessened due to the knee injury, and with the level of quickness and speed he will be facing at the next level, his outside running effectiveness might be limited. Therefore, Guice may need to improve his inside running which, as a result, would increase the punishment, not lessen it. One last concern I have about Guice is his patience. He has a lot of it, but unfortunately, he tends to be too patient on runs which results in slim holes dissolving into nothingness.

Pros

Guice has good balance which allows him to take hits and remain upright, a huge part of his bruising and punishing running style that makes defenders pay in pain every time they challenge him. His powerful legs keep driving until the whistle, which makes him an effective short-yardage running back. Guice’s style is just pure blunt-force trauma. The Washington offensive line is just average, so he will have to make his own lanes more than most NFL running backs.

Guice’s entire game is not just pain, however. He possesses above average vision which allows him to find cutback lanes, read blockers, and create positive yardage when there isn’t much there to be had. Sometimes his patience can be a burden on him, but other times he can make the most of it. Guice can change directions almost effortlessly, allowing him able to run counters and quick pitches, which could open up the entire Washington offense. When he adds his spin move to his quick feet, he is difficult to grab onto in space. Unlike most college running backs, Guice has shared the workload so his body may have more juice to it, despite his physical running style.

Overall Impressions

Guice, while the apple of many draft Twitter evaluator’s eyes, has some big warts. Character matters, and going from appearing as the second-best running back before the Draft to becoming the seventh, proves that. Guice admits his loves video games; should you hold that against him? I wouldn’t because he pulled a woman out of a car wreck a week or so before the Draft. Now, that is the kind of teammate I would want!

The Washington rookie running back has a physical style that inflicts pain on himself and the defenders trying to bring him down. This could limit his shelf life at the next level, but he isn’t going to get every touch with Thompson on the team. Guice will have the opportunity to improve his pass blocking over time. Therefore, I will rank him as my third rookie running back behind Saquon Barkley and Nick Chubb.

Thanks for reading. I will continue to generate and discuss 2018 rookie scouting reports with you leading up to the start of the NFL season so be sure to keep an eye on DTC for new content. You can also follow me on Twitter @AndrewMiley.