2018 Raiders Draft Prospect: RB Derrius Guice

2018 Raiders Draft Prospect

Name: Derrius Guice

Position: RB

School: Louisiana State University

Height: 5-foot-11

Weight: 211 pounds

Projected: Rounds 1-2

Stats:

First, Derrick Guice’s draft declaration earlier this month adds another high-quality prospect to an already loaded running back draft class for 2018.

Louisiana State found out quickly if you Derrius Guice a chance, he will run with the opportunity. In effect, the junior closed out his collegiate career with 1,251 yards and 11 touchdowns on 237 carries this past season as the Tigers’ lead back. That comes after a 1,387-yard, 11-TD sophomore campaign which saw Guice carry the load for dinged backfield mate Leonard Fournette. In that case, the Guice was right.

In three years at LSU, Guice galloped for 3,074 yards and 29 touchdowns on 471 carries. That breaks down to an eye-opening 6.5 yards per carry.

Additionally, the numbers Guice posts during the NFL combine in early March will be instrumental. His performance validates his early first-round projections or entrenches him as a late first/second-round pick.

Team fit:

Marshawn Lynch is long in the tooth (will be 32 come the 2018 season) and is not a guarantee to be back on the Raiders roster (carries a $5.95 million camp number according to Spotrac.com). If Beast Mode returns, adding a shot of Guice to the stable gives Oakland another tough and impactful between-the-tackles ball carrier. Whether he can maintain a high-carry workload at the NFL level remains to be seen, as well as his pass-catching mettle. Again, this RB class looks loaded, but there is no denying what Guice brings to the table. As a result, the Raiders would improve their run  game in a hurry.

Strengths:

Crease Lightning. As in give him a crease, just a little groove or a fold in the defense and he will make the opposition pay with sound vision. Guice is a stout inside runner with thorough strength to bust through tackles, hard to take down after he generated forward momentum. Good straight-line speed for a stocky tailback. Similarly, he possesses agility and change-of-direction stand out, as he is able to make something out of nothing. Holds up well in pass protection, a must at the NFL level.

Weaknesses:

Guice is blessed with sudden speed, does he have home run speed? Also, ball security is a big component to playing on Sundays (and Mondays and Thursdays) and teams will be looking to strip Guice of the ball. While he showed requisite hands on 32 receptions during his collegiate career, Guice needs to prove he can handle a much bigger workload .

With that said, Guice is a violent impact runner who can see blocks develop and make a decision quickly. One the whole, he’s got traits and skills on par (minus long speed) with highly-regarded prospect Saquon Barkley.