2018 Colts Prospect Spotlight: Derrius Guice
From the time that I am writing this article, the 2018 NFL draft is 302 days, six hours, 23 minutes, and 56 seconds away. I know, I know, that seems like a very long time from now, but life moves fast. The 2018 NFL draft is absolutely stacked at the running back position, which the Colts will be forced to address sooner or later. Some talented backs in the class include Saquon Barkley out of Penn State, who reminds me a lot of Le’Veon Bell with his incredible vision and all around game, the powerful Bo Scarbrough out of Alabama, and LSU’s explosive Derrius Guice.
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Barkley will most likely be selected in the top five of the draft, and if the Colts’ 2017 season goes as I predict, they will not be in a position to draft him. Scarbrough is a powerful runner, but I am unsure if he can be a three-down back in the NFL. Guice not only has the strength to be a powerful runner on the next level, he has the burst, speed, and vision to be a one of a kind player. He plays like a much stronger version of LeSean McCoy: with incredible vision and shiftiness. His incredible strength was highlighted by his 650 pound squat.
Guice and McCoy share quite a few similarities statistically. Guice loves to break off the big play, as he averaged 7.8 yards per carry in 2016, with McCoy averaging 5.4, good for third in the NFL. Guice’s 96 yard run against Arkansas was the longest in program history, and McCoy’s longest run of 75 yards was tied for second in the NFL last season. Guice seems to be even faster than McCoy, as he ran a blazing 4.32 40 yard dash at LSU’s elite camp in 2014, compared to McCoy’s 4.45 time. At 5’11”, 212 pounds, Guice has freakish speed for a kid that big.
His production so far at LSU has been incredible. Formerly known as the backup to some guy named Leonard Fournette, who Bleacher Report’s Matt Haynes reported that he thinks that at least half of the NFL teams would have selected Guice over Fournette in the 2017 NFL draft if he was eligible. He made the most of his opportunity when Fournette went down with injury, posting 1387 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2016, including a 285 yard performance against Texas A&M, breaking the all time LSU rushing record set by guess who, Leonard Fournette. Guice is one of four SEC running backs to have multiple 250-yard rushing games, along with all time greats Bo Jackson and Herschel Walker, and Moe Williams.
With all of this being said, how does Guice fit with the Colts? Quite simply, beautifully. The Colts have not had a running back with the talent level of Guice since Marshall Faulk in 1998. The amount of pressure Guice would take off of Andrew Luck would open up more opportunities in the passing game, and most importantly, keep him upright and healthy. Frank Gore cannot play forever, and the Colts need to be ready when father time comes knocking on his door.
Guice is the man that Chris Ballard needs to draft in 2018. The defense is a large need, but players like Guice only come around so often. I don’t think Chuck Pagano would mind coaching a guy who has been compared to Ladanian Tomlinson and Frank Gore by and NFL analyst. Acquiring an elite runner is the next step the Colts need to take to once again become one of the top teams in the NFL.
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