NFL Draft 2018: Redskins got steal of draft in LSU’s Derrius Guice

With one of the top running backs in the draft somehow still on the board, the Washington Redskins scooped up the draft’s biggest steal, Derrius Guice.

While the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft was thrilling, the second round has yielded some of the best picks in recent memory. The amount of talent that has fallen to the second round has been eye-popping and the Washington Redskins jumped at the opportunity to snag arguably the second-best running back in the draft.

Derrius Guice fell right into the Redskins’ laps at No. 59 despite question marks about some off-field issues — which may just be rumors at this point.

Yes, a player who may be considered the second-best running back in the class nearly fell to the third round and could very well be the Redskins’ starting running back as a rookie.

Guice had a monstrous three-year career with LSU, backing up Leonard Fournette. He got just 51 touches as a freshman, but averaged 8.5 yards per carry and crossed the goal-line three times. His role increased during his sophomore season with Fournette dealing with injury issues. In fact, Guice rushed for 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on 7.6 yards per touch.

Unfortunately, he struggled to stay healthy himself as a junior, rushing for 1,251 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 5.3 yards per carry. Those aren’t pedestrian numbers for most backs, but for Guice, they fell short of his expectations.

The Redskins needed help in the backfield after shuffling through Samaje Perine, Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson. It seems as if Perine is the favorite to start, but Guice could very well change that.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Complete 7-round projections

Guice may be the steal of the draft to this point, but as long as the rumored off-field concerns don’t come to fruition, Washington will have a future All-Pro in its backfield.