Scouting The 2017 NFL Draft: Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State

It wouldn't surprise me if in 5 years, Chris Godwin is considered to be the best receiver to come out of the 2017 NFL draft. He's right up there with Zay Jones as receivers I really like at the next level. I liked him before the combine, but what he did in Indianapolis was impressive. His stock will continue to rise before the draft, and he's a receiver that every team in the league should look at as a high end future starter.

Rated as a 4* prospect by most media outlets coming out of high school, it's fair to say that there was expectations from the start at Penn State, which is why he appeared in every single game his freshman year.

There isn't a great deal not to like about Godwin, he has size, strength and speed, with excellent hand/eye coordination, good vertical ability with a habit of catching the ball away from his body. With better and more consistent QB play at Penn State (and a better offensive line to give the QB time to throw), I think Godwin's numbers would have been a lot better. So lets get into it.

Personal

Hometown: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Height: 6'1

Weight: 209 lb’s

Hands: 9 1/8"

Arms: 31 5/8"

Combine Performance

Vertical: 36"

Broad: 126"

Bench: 19 reps

40 Yard: 4.42 seconds

3 Cone: 7.01

20 Yard Shuttle: 4.00

60 Yard Shuttle: 11.21

College Statistics

2014 - 26 REC, 338 Yards, 13.0 AVG, 2 TD

2015 - 69 REC, 1,101 Yards, 16.0 AVG, 5 TD

2016 - 59 REC, 982 Yards, 16.6 AVG, 11 TD

NFL Comparison

Anquan Boldin - Detroit Lions.

When I watch Godwin and his ability to catch the ball away from his body, while showing a real toughness with and without the ball, I think of Boldin.

Positive Attributes

• Good size and strength.
• Good speed, can challenge deep.
• Hand/Eye coordination is elite.
• Clean catcher of the ball, plucks it out of the air, away from his body.
• Shows a real toughness with and without the ball in his hands.
• Coaches rave about his football instincts and work ethic.
• Is a very savvy route runner.
• Comfortable catching the ball in traffic.
• Quick to locate the football and make adjustments.
• Body control is elite.
• Uses his physicality to contest balls in the end zone.
• Physical runner with the ball in his hands after the catch.
• Saw him recognise zone coverage and sit in space on numerous occasions.
• Always works back to the QB making himself available.

Negative Attributes

• Takes some time to get up to full speed.
• Quickness in and out of breaks is only average.
• Needs to use his hands more to get off the line against press coverage.

Draft Grade

If he had a little more quickness on his get-off, he'd be a first round talent for sure. As such, he's a 2nd round guy. I'd be pretty surprised if he fell any lower than the mid 2nd round. I'd stick an early 2nd grade on him as an evaluator.

Godwin on Godwin

"The reaction’s been mostly positive. I performed better than some people were expecting. At the same time, I knew that I put in some hard work, and I knew to expect a little bit more than what they were projecting for me. That’s neither here nor there. I don’t worry myself too much with all these mock drafts and projections. At the end of the day, all that really matters is what happens on the field. I try not to get too caught up in any of that stuff" - Godwin on the reaction from others to his combine.