Finding Broncos: Mario Goodrich | CB | Clemson

Finding Broncos scouts the 2022 NFL Draft with an under-the-radar corner.

Measurements

• Height: 6-foot-0
• Weight: 176 pounds
• Arms: 30-5/8 inches
• Hands: 9-1/8 inches

Combine Results

• 40-Yard Dash: 4.52 seconds

Stats

Pros

• Goodrich is a team leader who will lead by example on and off the field. 
• He will do whatever the coaching staff has asked him and patiently waited for his chance at Clemson. 
• He is a technical tackler that comes to balance and drives through reliably, making the tackle. 
• You don't have to worry about his run defense off of the boundary because he is more than willing and has good technique. 
• He has the technique to break down receivers and even some tight ends blocking attempts and get free. 
• He plays like he is bigger and longer than he is. 
• He is quick and smooth when going from a backpedal to driving forward with his transitions. 
• He seems to have a good football IQ and good instincts. 
• He keeps a good balance with his eyes between the quarterback and the receiver. 
• He is sharp with his press technique and uses good strength to force receivers to change their get-off. 
• He uses the sideline as an extra defender and knows how to squeeze receivers against it to limit their catch radius. 

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Cons

• Goodrich isn't the best athlete and struggles to make adjustments when in the air. 
• He struggles to flip his hips smoothly. 
• His footwork is labored and heavy, with a lot of wasted steps. 
• There isn't any recovery athleticism with Goodrich to make up for early issues. 
• He doesn't have the best lateral agility to shuffle, creating issues with his mirror. 
• He lacks burst and short-area quickness to make it to the catch point out of breaks. 
• When he gets attacked deep, Goodrich seems quite flustered. 
• There is going to be a significant limitation on what Goodrich does at the NFL level. 
• He struggles when working off-coverage, and his work in zone can be problematic. 
• He has one year of experience working as a starter. 
• Goodrich isn't smooth enough as a mover to work inside and is a boundary-only corner. 

Overview

Goodrich is probably best suited as being a number three of four corner in the NFL, with an outside/inside guy above him. That way, when he takes the field on the boundary, that boundary corner is heading to the slot. Teams will have to be asking him to play press-man coverage only as he doesn't have the fluidity to play off or the awareness to play zone. 

There will also be a concern about him carrying receivers downfield, and competent offenses would do well to test that early on in his career. That is something Goodrich will have to improve on to stick in the NFL as more than just a special teams depth piece. It isn't all bad from Goodrich, and he does do many things quite well. 

His run defense and willingness are easily up there as his best traits in his run defense. He is plenty physical and plays bigger than he is. Goodrich shows a good understanding of using the sideline and leverage to limit the catch radius and will often find himself in a proper position on short and intermediate routes. 

Fit with Broncos

There isn't a match here with Goodrich and the Broncos. They are a team that will play more off-coverage and zone than Goodrich can handle. He is a press-man-only corner that doesn't have the footwork or the football IQ to overcome those limitations. 

The Broncos still need depth at the corner position, but they can't get someone that doesn't have the traits to make it work. Even with development, it is hard to improve hip flexibility and awareness, which are two of the biggest concerns with Goodrich playing outside of press-man. This is a strong corner class with good depth, and there are plenty of other options that are much better fits for the Broncos. 

Grade: Middle Round 3

Where he Goes: Late Round 3/Early Round 4

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