Getting Open And Added Extras
There are certainly some reasons to be optimistic about Godwin’s route running, as he shows a nice ability to change both speed and direction in order to create momentary separation underneath:
However, as a downfield route runner, he struggles to create separation against better cornerbacks. He wasn’t really asked to run a full route tree at Georgia, and there is a chance that he could be quite good if he is asked to run more of a short man-beating route tree in the NFL; but on vertical routes, he lacked the speed to really threaten defenders and lacked the change of direction coming back to the ball to really create separation with that alone:
The other major concern with him as a route runner is his ability to get off the line against press – as a smaller receiver, he really struggled when defenders got physical with him at the line and while he was able to avoid this for the most part by playing out of the slot, when he was asked to go against press, he really struggled to create any sort of separation (he’s at the top of the screen on the following play):
This is something that can be worked on with coaching, but there is also a strength element to this which is harder to change, but can also be combated at the NFL level by remaining in the slot. Where he was most effective in college is likely where he will have the best chance in the NFL, as an intermediate zone beater.
When allowed to work across the field against zone, his awareness and ball skills allowed him to be a player who can be relied on as something of an intermediate checkdown:
This awareness isn’t something that every receiver has and while plays like this don’t add an enormous amount of value from a player perspective, you do need somebody to run these routes who can be trusted to be in the right place and not drop the ball, and that is worth something:
Against man coverage, however, Godwin relied quite heavily on getting schemed open outside of the occasional deep route, with Georgia often using picks and the like to give him a step to work open:
Given his height and lack of explosive athleticism, it’s hard to imagine Godwin adding much as an aerial threat in the NFL, but what is somewhat surprising is that he didn’t really do much after the catch, either. He can make the odd player miss and runs into the space given to him, but he rarely adds significant yardage to what is created for him.
What he does do quite well though is block, and while he isn’t going to be driving many people backward, he did a pretty good job of getting inside hand placement and sustaining his blocks:
And also showed the willingness to go and find his defender when the ball went elsewhere, allowing other players to gain yards after the catch:
The Path To A Roster Spot
One thing that the Panthers have talked about doing with Godwin is using him on special teams as a returner – while this isn’t the worst idea in the world, this wasn’t really something he did in college. He had seven career punt returns while at Georgia, but over half of those came in his 2015 freshman season, and he has only two career kick returns, the last of which came in 2016.
Godwin might not be a bad returner, and his skillset suggests that he might be decent at this, but there isn’t really a tape-based argument for this that has any real credibility.
Lance Zeurlein’s comparison for Godwin was former Panther Corey/Philly Brown, and that is really a pretty accurate comparison to make. Godwin does the basics well, he catches the ball nicely in particular and has enough deep speed to be used deep at times, even if this isn’t going to be a core aspect of his game. Like Brown, he flashes little bits as a route runner but isn’t likely to be used against man a whole lot, with his major value being his ability to work as a short and intermediate zone beater.
The Panthers have added a number of receivers this offseason, and while Godwin has as good a chance to make the roster of anybody outside the top five guys, the battle for the sixth receiver spot is likely to be a fairly open one – while Godwin has a path to this via special teams, as the 237th overall pick, Godwin is going to have to fight for his roster spot.
That being said, if he can turn the flashes of route running he showed at Georgia into more consistent underneath separation then he has a real chance, as while the Panthers have a number of deep threats on the roster, there is definitely a spot for a slot receiver to play behind Wright.
