Scouting the 2018 NFL Draft - Derrius Guice, RB, LSU

Personal/Physical

Height: 5’11

Weight: 218

Born: June 21, 1997 (age 20 on draft day)

Hometown: Baton Rouge, LA

Career Stats

2015: 51 carries, 436 yards (8.5 Y/A), 3 TD, 5 receptions, 20 yards

2016: 183 carries, 1387 yards (7.6 Y/A), 15 TD, 9 receptions, 106 yards

2017: 237 carries, 1251 yards (5.3 Y/A), 11 TD, 18 receptions, 124 yards

Positives

• Very powerful runner, can churn out plenty of yards after contact. Upper body strength as a runner looks to be his strong suit
• Tough downhill runner looking to take the ball and grind right through the teeth of the defense
• Reliable for solid gains between the tackles on early downs, rarely stuffed
• Knows how to find and slip through the small gaps in the defense
• Has a quick lateral jump cut in his repertoire
• Showed to be a solid pass protector
• Only 5 career fumbles (2 lost), including just 1 (not lost) in 2017
• Top-end speed and burst are both plenty solid to compliment his power game, but not elite

Negatives

• Tendency to be tripped up/ankle tackled
• Not many elusive open-field moves
• Though a bowling ball of a runner, too often searching for contact rather than keeping feet alive
• Became more involved as a receiver in 2017 but still only made 18 catches on the year for 6.9 yards per reception
• As mentioned earlier speed and quickness are below average in my view. He has an excellent juke/jump-cut that is the key to his explosive games but is not a winner to the edge

Film

I’ll show you a couple clips of Guice at his best.

Power is his game. Look at him make two defenders miss than spin the other one into the end zone with him.

Guice is the kind of downhill running back that forces defenders to make business decisions. He’s always looking to initiate contact and drive in headfirst, and few are able to stifle him without giving up a few extra yards.

The key for Guice to become a game-wrecker and not just a punisher was his jump-cut. When he shredded Ole Miss for 276 yards, he was able to combine his downhill, keep it moving upfield mentality with a slick lateral move that made him untouchable.

Finally, Guice showcases some pretty good blocking ability. He brings the physicality of his run game to pass protection.

Draft Grade: Late Second/Third Round

I’m not very high on Guice. I think his speed and quickness are just average at best, while he didn’t make much of an impact as a receiver. He also declined production-wise from 2016 to 2017.

He is a violent runner who should be able to enter a lineup right away and provide a power punch. I also think his blocking is among the best of this class. He did showcase some impressive lateral jump-cut ability that, if he can unlock at a consistent level, could elevate him to become a focal point of an offense. I’m skeptical of that, though. There are a few backs I would prefer over him in the second or third rounds, such as Sony Michel and Rashaad Penny.

Then again, this is a guy who put up 29 touchdowns and almost 3,000 yards from scrimmage over the last two years in the tough SEC, and his raw age of just 20 on draft day provides hope that he still has more room to grow than his peers, and possibly a lot more tread left on his tires. I’m not Guice’s biggest fan, but I wouldn’t complain if the Jets made him their find in the abundant gold mine that is the mid-round running back pool.