Penn State Football: Chris Godwin blossomed in final weeks
Chris Godwin fought off a stacked depth chart to finish out his rookie season strong. Penn State football’s 2016 star flashed glimpses of his future.
When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Penn State football’s Chris Godwin in third round of last year’s draft, a lot of fans wondered how he’d fit. The Bucs drafted him after signing DeSean Jackson in the offseason. Tampa Bay already boasted 50-50, jump ball receiver Mike Evans and Adam Humphries, so how would Godwin fit?
Well, for the first part of the season, he struggled to get on the field and produce. Despite having a quality offseason, through the first eight weeks of the 2017 campaign, he caught only eight passes for 83 yards. A backlogged depth chart and inconsistency at quarterback plagued the team. He couldn’t create chemistry with Jameis Winston since he wasn’t with the starting group.
However, once Ryan Fitzpatrick stepped in for a few weeks, his reps immediately shot up and stayed there when Winston returned. He closed out the final eight weeks snaring 26 passes for 442 yards and a touchdown, which was the game-winner against New Orleans.
During that stretch, Godwin showed off the skill set that garnered loads of interest from NFL teams.
He attacked the football and made difficult catches with defenders hanging all over him. That same aggressiveness is what earned him respect by most draft experts helped him bust out late in the season. Godwin also became the mid-range threat Tampa needed. Evans owned the role of the back shoulder fade red zone, and Jackson is the incendiary burner that can’t be out thrown.
They needed a strong possession receiver that will go over the middle and go right at defensive backs. Godwin was the answer. He can still become that outside the numbers threat that Evans already is, but for now he makes his money being the physical, over-the-middle presence.
Keep an eye on him headed into next season. As a younger, talented wide out, the Bucs could move on from a few guys opening up the door for him to pick up more reps.