The New York Jets recently claimed former Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Mario Goodrich off waivers from the Denver Broncos. Today we break Goodrich down in detail.
The 25-year old Goodrich is listed at 6’0″ and 186 pounds and was undrafted out of Clemson in 2022. He has played in four NFL games, all with the Eagles in 2023, starting one. He also played in the UFL.
Background
Goodrich was a highly regarded four-star high school recruit who was ranked 99th in the nation and third in the state of
Missouri by Rivals and sixth-best at the cornerback position by 247 sports.
He headed to Clemson but played a reserve role in his first two seasons. In 27 games, he had 14 tackles, five pass breakups and an interception.
Goodrich made his first four starts in his junior year in 2020 and ended the season with 13 tackles, three pass breakups and two interceptions.
Having sat behind the likes of AJ Terrell, Trayvon Mullen and Derion Kendrick during his first three seasons, Goodrich finally became a full-time starter in 2021. He started all 12 games and had 42 tackles, 12 passes defensed and two interceptions as he earned first team all-ACC honors and was named as a PFF third team all-American.
He had a shot at being a late round draft pick but underwhelming offseason workouts led to him not being selected. However, the Eagles signed him as an undrafted free agent ahead of the 2022 season.
Goodrich spent his rookie year on the practice squad but returned on a futures deal in 2023 and made the roster, although he was released back to the practice squad in October having registered five tackles in four games.
Having once again signed a futures deal in 2024, he was released early on in camp and ended up with the Giants. However, he went onto injured reserve at the end of preseason.
Having not played in 2024, Goodrich opted to join the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions earlier this year. He played in seven games with them, starting five, and recorded 15 tackles and four pass breakups.
Denver signed him at the end of the UFL season in June but waived him in early August. The Jets claimed Goodrich on waivers early on in camp and he has played for them in the first two preseason games.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Goodrich brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
Goodrich weighed in at just 176 at the scouting combine but was 191 in time for his pro day. He has below average length.
He ran a 4.52 in the 40-yard dash at the combine and failed to improve on that at his pro day. Having not done anything else at the combine, he did the explosiveness drills at his pro day but his numbers there were poor.
Usage
Goodrich has played both outside and in the slot during his career. He was mostly outside in college and the UFL, but his NFL regular season action in 2023 was in the slot and he had also played the slot in preseason that year. He has mostly been outside in preseason every other year, though.
Coverage skills
Goodrich posted excellent coverage numbers in college as he gave up a catch on less than 50 percent of his targets and only got beaten for two touchdowns in four years. However, in NFL regular season action, he was targeted 11 times and all 11 were successful completions. He did fare better in preseason action and at the UFL level though.
It’s perhaps worth reiterating that those NFL targets were when he was playing in the slot, whereas the better numbers everywhere else came while he was on the outside.
While he moves relatively smoothly, there are times when Goodrich can get himself off balance coming out of a break. He can also sometimes be a beat late to react to route breaks.
At times, he has also been guilty of giving the receiver too much room and making it too easy for him to separate. On this play, he gives Justin Jefferson a completely clean release out of the slot.
Ball skills
Having played wide receiver in college, Goodrich should be good at attacking the ball and holding onto interceptions. Interestingly, though, three of his five career picks in college came as he reacted to snare a deflected pass. This was a nice diving pick, though.
His on-ball numbers are pretty good, especially in 2021 where he led the ACC in passes defensed. On this play he fails to get his head turned but displays good timing to disrupt the catch.
Tackling
Goodrich was a solid tackler in college, with a reasonable 10 percent missed tackle rate. However, at the pro level he has been a lot less consistent. In the UFL, he let himself down with a 38 percent missed tackle rate as he missed nine tackles in seven games and he also had a few missed tackles in limited action with the Eagles.
His closing speed is good and he is capable of stopping a ball carrier in their tracks but he can be guilty of taking over-aggressive angles.
While Goodrich has only had a few forced fumbles in his career, he has shown the ability to punch the ball out. This particular play came in the clutch as it meant the ball carrier was tackled behind the line to gain on 4th down. This clinched a bowl game win (and an MVP award for Goodrich who also had a pick six) with 30 seconds to go.
Run defense
While he was mostly aligned on the outside so he didn’t get many chances to contribute, Goodrich was a consistent run defender at Clemson. However, at the UFL level he had a few costly missed tackles.
He came up off the edge well to make the stop behind the line on this quarterback keeper.
Physicality
Goodrich is renowned for his aggressive style of play. He has been employed in press coverage and will lean on his man down the field and use the sideline to leverage his man out of room. Despite this, his on-field discipline hasn’t been an issue as he has had just four defensive penalties in college, one in the UFL and none in NFL preseason or regular season action.
Despite his competitiveness, his ideal lack of size can lead to Goodrich being outmuscled at the catch-point at times, though.
He has some nice hitting on his highlight reel, as he can close fast on ball carriers and make solid contact.
Blitzing
Goodrich has hardly ever blitzed at any level and doesn’t have any sacks in his career. Here’s a rare example of him hurrying the quarterback and failing to make the play but forcing a throwaway.
Special teams
Goodrich has covered kicks, played as a vice on the punt return unit and rushed field goals on a regular basis at all levels. He also blocked on the kick return unit with the Eagles.
In college, he had eight special teams tackles but also had two special teams penalties. He impressed at the UFL level, though, with five tackles and a forced fumble in seven games.
Instincts/Intelligence
Goodrich displays good football IQ as he prepares well and makes plenty of good reads to blow up plays near the line of scrimmage.
He can sometimes be caught out of position, lose contact with his man or be late to react to a route break in coverage.
Goodrich apparently struggled with academics initially but worked hard to improve and ended up on the ACC honor roll twice.
Attitude
Goodrich was voted as a permanent team captain for the Tigers in 2021 and is regarded as someone who leads by example on and off the field.
Earlier on in his career, he was considered immature and had some minor discipline issues, but the coaching staff praised how he had matured into a leadership role.
Injuries
Goodrich has said he was constantly banged up early on in his career and had to learn to take care of his body, conditioning and diet. He also missed two games in 2020 with a groin injury and was dealing with a rib injury at the end of the 2021 season which affected his pre-draft preparation. In 2024, he was waived/injured by the Giants with a hamstring injury.
Scheme Fit
As noted, Goodrich can play in the slot, but the Jets have been using him on the outside so far during preseason action.
He has been a teammate of current Jets players Harrison Mevis in the UFL and Tanner McCalister with the Broncos.
Conclusions
Goodrich is a long-shot to make the roster, although there are a lot of people competing for spots at the bottom of the depth chart and a spot just opened up with Kris Boyd’s season-ending shoulder injury.
So far, he hasn’t really been able to make a positive impact in camp or preseason so he may need a big game against the Eagles to persuade the Jets he’s worth keeping around.
A spot on the practice squad might be his best case scenario, but he’s the sort of guy they could bring back later if they do cut him loose.
