Derrius Guice's precipitous fall down draft boards was the dominant storyline of Day 2 of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Regarded as the second- or third-best running back on the board, Guice tumbled until the 59th overall selection, when the Washington Redskins made him the seventh running back drafted. Last week, concerns were raised by team executives that he was immature and "high-maintenance." As the LSU running back fell on Friday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport noted that some of Guice's team visits did not go well and that there were incidents in college that teams found out about that were not previously reported.
NFL Network's Tom Pelissero added on Saturday that there were compounding reasons for Guice's fall, which ultimately did not take teams by surprise.
"There were additional rumors that did surface this week that teams had to look into," Pelissero explained Saturday morning. "I had long conversations with multiple executives this morning who had looked into those. One told me he came to the conclusion that this was just another example of immaturity with Guice.
"This is a young man who does not drink, does not smoke, does not have a criminal record. Nobody speaks about him in that regard in terms of a risk. It's all about what you're going to need to do for six days and 21 hours each week to get him to those three hours on Sunday when the Redskins clearly believe they might have a star on their hands."
Following his introductory press conference on Saturday, Guice told Pelissero he was grateful that the Redskins selected him where they did and that his draft-night fall won't change who he is at heart.
"This team picked me the way that I am, and I really appreciate them for trusting me and giving me the opportunity," Guice said. "You are who you are. You can't change who you are for anyone. And I wouldn't change anything."
