Vikings Draft Watch: Marquise Goodwin is a Rising Receiver Prospect

We’re keeping our eyes on receiver prospects nowadays. Obviously that’s a huge need for the Vikings. We’ve heard quite a bit about guys like Keenan Allen and Robert Woods. Terrance Williams and Cordarrelle Patterson have entered the conversation recently. Markus Wheaton of Oregon State is beginning to get some buzz. Now there’s another guy entering the picture. Marquise Goodwin of Texas.

Goodwin’s stock is rising after a nice week at the Senior Bowl. Dan Pompei of National Football Post singled him out for praise:

"In Mobile he showed he can really run, and he has some big time ability to make game breaking plays. One scouting director said he previously thought Goodwin was mostly a return specialist. Not anymore."

Goodwin was a track star at Texas as well as a receiver on the football team. Track guys are usually thought of as straight-line runners who can give you a threat on deep bombs but not much else. That was what people thought of Goodwin initially but now that’s changing. He’s shown he has some other skills as a receiver. Field Yates of ESPN looked at him as a possible Deion Branch-type:

"Colleague Mike Reiss noted Goodwin in his earlier post relating to the game, and mentioned his unique speed that allowed him to be a downfield threat. I also saw Goodwin make defenders miss on the perimeter in the quick passing game, something the Patriots didn’t have a ton of this season. For example, a few years back, Deion Branch was effective in taking “laser” screens (throws to him on the sideline at or near the line of scrimmage) and turning them into first downs. Goodwin’s elusiveness stood out, and could be effective on such plays."

Goodwin is a smallish guy at 5-10, 180. Maybe not exactly what you’re looking for as a big outside receiver. But he’s got wheels. Lately the Vikings have been drafting a lot of speed guys. They took Josh Robinson and Jarius Wright last year mostly because of raw speed. If that philosophy is once again in play this year, Goodwin could be on the radar.

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