Washington Redskins draft Derrius Guice: Instant grade and analysis
The Washington Redskins selected Derrius Guice in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Here’s all you need to know about Guice, including our grade.
Strengths
Guice was a monster in 2016, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. This number dropped to 5.3 last year, but it was because he had a nagging injury all year. When looking at his 2016 tape, we see a patient runner with great vision who finishes runs well.
His biggest strength is his patience and vision. He never rushes to continue the play, instead allowing his blockers to set up in front of him so that he can weave his way through. His quick feet make this an effective running style for him because he can find his way into whatever hole is set up for him. He is quick to hit the hole once he sees it. Once he gets there, this footwork helps him to make people miss so that he can keep on plowing forward.
From there, he is a good cutter who does a good job of getting his balance recentered. If the defenders catch him, he doesn’t get tackled easily and finishes runs with authority. He will almost always been seen pushing the pile forward and getting those extra few yards that can be crucial.
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Weaknesses
If Guice has one major flaw, it is his lack of explosion. There are questions on whether or not he will be able to beat defenders around the edge or reach the second gear he has sometimes shown. Given that he has played his entire career without this, he may be able to play long into an NFL career because losing a step won’t require him to reshape his game. However, he does take a lot of big hits and this could mean that a potential long NFL career doesn’t await him.
One other thing that people have pointed out is pass protection. While he is a smart blocker and knows where to be, he needs to get stronger and hold his own more when protecting. He should be able to adjust to this after he gets run over a few times.
Mostly, the concerns lie around his explosion but he should be able to play around that.
Grade
Grade: A-