Washington used a second-round pick to draft Derrius Guice, and he's an excellent runner; runs with power and an edge. In early rookie drafts, he's been the No. 2 pick in most that I've seen, behind only Saquon Barkley.
But best to keep in mind that he'll likely only be a tw0-down player. ESPN's John Keim cautions that Chris Thompson's role shouldn't change with the addition of Guice. Thompson is one of the best receiving backs in the league, and Washington won't forget about him. He'll be a big part of the offense.
A year ago, Thompson was maybe the most dynamic receiving back in the league. Among the 58 running backs who caught at least 20 passes, Thompson's 13,1 yards per catch was tops in the NFL. Only Todd Gurley was within a yard of him. A pretty big impact on the game for Washington to mothball for a rookie.
| RUNNING BACK RECEIVING, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | No | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Chris Thompson, Wash. | 39 | 510 | 13.1 | 4 |
| Todd Gurley, LAR | 64 | 788 | 12.3 | 6 |
| Benny Cunningham, Chi. | 20 | 240 | 12.0 | 2 |
| Tevin Coleman, Atl. | 27 | 299 | 11.1 | 3 |
| Marlon Mack, Ind. | 21 | 225 | 10.7 | 1 |
| Jamaal Williams, G.B. | 25 | 262 | 10.5 | 2 |
| Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 26 | 269 | 10.3 | 2 |
| Austin Ekeler, LAC | 27 | 279 | 10.3 | 3 |
| Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 81 | 826 | 10.2 | 5 |
| Joe Mixon, Cin. | 30 | 287 | 9.6 | 0 |
| Kyle Juszczyk, S.F. | 33 | 315 | 9.5 | 1 |
| Jalen Richard, Oak. | 27 | 256 | 9.5 | 1 |
| Andre Ellington, Ariz.-Hou. | 39 | 369 | 9.5 | 0 |
| Duke Johnson, Clev. | 74 | 693 | 9.4 | 3 |
| Devontae Booker, Den. | 30 | 275 | 9.2 | 0 |
| Lamar Miller, Hou. | 36 | 327 | 9.1 | 3 |
| Giovani Bernard, Cin. | 43 | 389 | 9.0 | 2 |
| Devonta Freeman, Atl. | 36 | 317 | 8.8 | 1 |
| Kareem Hunt, K.C. | 53 | 455 | 8.6 | 3 |
| Matt Breida, S.F. | 21 | 180 | 8.6 | 1 |
| Rex Burkhead, N.E. | 30 | 254 | 8.5 | 3 |
| Frank Gore, Ind. | 29 | 245 | 8.4 | 1 |
| Leonard Fournette, Jac. | 36 | 302 | 8.4 | 1 |
| Theo Riddick, Det. | 53 | 444 | 8.4 | 2 |
| Chris Ivory, Jac. | 21 | 175 | 8.3 | 1 |
| Samaje Perine, Wash. | 22 | 182 | 8.3 | 1 |
| Jerick McKinnon, Minn. | 51 | 421 | 8.3 | 2 |
| Melvin Gordon, LAC | 58 | 476 | 8.2 | 4 |
| Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 80 | 651 | 8.1 | 5 |
| Alex Collins, Balt. | 23 | 187 | 8.1 | 0 |
| C.J. Anderson, Den. | 28 | 224 | 8.0 | 1 |
| Matt Forte, NYJ | 37 | 293 | 7.9 | 1 |
| J.D. McKissic, Sea. | 34 | 266 | 7.8 | 2 |
| Damien Williams, Mia. | 20 | 155 | 7.8 | 1 |
| LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | 85 | 655 | 7.7 | 2 |
| James White, N.E. | 56 | 429 | 7.7 | 3 |
| LeSean McCoy, Buff. | 59 | 448 | 7.6 | 2 |
| Marshawn Lynch, Oak. | 20 | 151 | 7.6 | 0 |
| Ty Montgomery, G.B. | 23 | 173 | 7.5 | 1 |
| Kenyan Drake, Mia. | 32 | 239 | 7.5 | 1 |
| T.J. Yeldon, Jac. | 30 | 224 | 7.5 | 0 |
| Bilal Powell, NYJ | 23 | 170 | 7.4 | 0 |
| Mark Ingram, N.O. | 58 | 416 | 7.2 | 0 |
| Charles Sims, T.B. | 35 | 249 | 7.1 | 1 |
| DeMarco Murray, Tenn. | 39 | 266 | 6.8 | 1 |
| Dion Lewis, N.E. | 32 | 214 | 6.7 | 3 |
| Jay Ajayi, Mia.-Phil. | 24 | 158 | 6.6 | 1 |
| Isaiah Crowell, Clev. | 28 | 182 | 6.5 | 0 |
| Ameer Abdullah, Det. | 25 | 162 | 6.5 | 1 |
| Danny Woodhead, Balt. | 33 | 200 | 6.1 | 0 |
| Carlos Hyde, S.F. | 59 | 350 | 5.9 | 0 |
| DeAndre Washington, Oak. | 34 | 197 | 5.8 | 1 |
| Shane Vereen, NYG | 44 | 253 | 5.8 | 0 |
| Wayne Gallman, NYG | 34 | 193 | 5.7 | 1 |
| Jamaal Charles, Den. | 23 | 129 | 5.6 | 0 |
| Charcandrick West, K.C. | 27 | 150 | 5.6 | 2 |
| Javorius Allen, Balt. | 46 | 250 | 5.4 | 2 |
| Jordan Howard, Chi. | 23 | 125 | 5.4 | 0 |
Washington's new quarterback is Alex Smith, and he worked with a pair of capable receiving backs in Kansas City. Both Kareem Hunt and Charcandrick West show up on the list, Hunt a lot higher. That's a function of the offense in Kansas City, but certainly Smith will be looking for running backs out of the backfield. Thompson will be the main player in that regard.
--Andy Richardson