Philadelphia Eagles: Derrius Guice at 32 could be the right move

The Philadelphia Eagles have the last pick of the first round in the 2018 NFL Draft. Derrius Guice could be the right move, solidifying the run game.

The Philadelphia Eagles had one of the best offenses in football in 2017. That went for their ground game as well. They were third in the NFL in rushing yards (2115) and fourth in yards per carry (4.5). There were some flaws though. Two, in particular, stand out.

First, was a lack of touchdowns. The Eagles scored just nine times (24th in the NFL) on the ground. Second was a true number one running back. No one ran for 1,000 yards. While a running-back-by-committee can work, it can also present multiple problems.

RBBC leaves a higher possibility of a non-threatening run game. Take Todd Gurley for example. Like anyone, he’s going to get shutdown by a defense on occasion. Wouldn’t you rather place your trust in a star than a brigade of mid-tier names though?

Then there’s too-many-legs problem. How do you try to keep everyone involved? What happens if multiple guys are struggling or thriving? Who should be in the offense when the game’s on the line? There are so many questions that come with it.

The Eagles currently have Jay Ajayi as well as Corey Clement and Wendell Smallwood at the position. Clement and Smallwood seem like solid pieces, but not feature backs. Ajayi on the other hand is still an enigma. His 2016 seems great on the surface, but outside of three 200-yard games, his numbers weren’t that good.

Derrius Guice on the other hand, has the makings of a beast. He’s not Saquon Barkley, so he’s been overshadowed for the most part, but is getting more and more love as the 2018 NFL Draft approaches. Some have him going as early as 13 to the Washington Redskins, while others have him not even getting drafted in the first round.

Lately, I’ve been wondering if Guice would be a good fit for Philadelphia. Then Michael Kist of SBNation’s Bleeding Green Nation posted a mock draft with Guice landing with the Eagles at 32.

That was enough for me to really run with it. I’m not the biggest “running back in the first round” guy. However, the last pick of the first round isn’t a terrible spot for someone as talented as Guice.

At LSU he showed time-and-time again the ability to make people miss, or run through them. Meanwhile, he has the type of speed that when he does break away, not many can catch him. Ultimately though, the biggest thing would be what he would do for Carson Wentz. Guice would give Wentz the type of workhorse back that can ease the workload for the quarterback. He hasn’t done much in the passing game, but has the potential to be a monster with the ball in his hands.

Next: 2018 NFL Mock Draft: Full 7-Round projection

Guice should help the Eagles find the end zone on the ground more often as well. He has the speed to break off big runs, but the power to get them those short-yardage touchdowns if needed as well. This makes there offense much less one-dimensional in the red zone.

There will be a few different ways the Eagles can decide to go with pick No. 32. If Derrius Guice is still available though, it’s going to be tough to pass up on him.