Sep 29, 2012; Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA; Clemson Tigers defensive end Malliciah Goodman (97) during the first quarter against the Boston College Eagles at Alumni Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
The University of Clemson is well known for their current production of highly drafted pass rushing defensive ends, which included 2012 first round draft pick Andre Branch, and 2011 second round pick De’Quan Bowers. This year, senior Malliciah Goodman hopes to continue the trend of being the next Clemson Tiger to be drafted in the top 100 in the NFL Draft. Goodman was considered one of the highly recruited high school football players. He had graduated early from his school so that he can join the Clemson football team. His coaches were so thrilled about his potential that they chose not to redshirt his first year, despite having an already dominant defensive line group that included the aforementioned Andre Branch, De’Quan Bowers, and also Jarvis Jenkins. After Bowers and Jenkins declared for the NFL draft, Goodman was finally given a chance to start for the Tigers, and he showed why coaches were enamoured with him. He finished his collegiate career in outstanding fashion. During the final game of as a Clemson Tiger, Malliciah Goodman had one of his most dominant performance against the LSU Tigers in the Chik-Fil-A Bowl. He was invited to both the Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine to show coaches why he should be part of their team.
Measurables:
6’4″, 276 lbs.
Strengths:
The first thing that teams will notice about Malliciah Goodman is his extraordinary long arms and big hands, measured at 36 3/8 inches in length and 11 inches respectively. Goodman knows how to utilize these rare sizes to his advantage as a defensive player. When he puts his long arms against his opponent’s chest, it prevents the blocker from reaching Goodman and also allows him to focus his attention on the backfield. Additionally, the opposing quarterback can never feel comfortable in the pocket because of Malliciah’s incredible reach. Even as the offensive linemen tries to push him away from the pocket, Malliciah can reach inside or run half a parameter of the pocket and still be able to reach the quarterback for the sack. Furthermore, he can use his arms to deflect quarterback passes, although he has not done so consistently, he did show the potential in timing his jumps well. Goodman is a solid tackler, with a good grip on his opponent when he catches them. Despite a low tackle number in his senior year, he made them count with 9 1/2 tackles for loss.
Weaknesses:
There are many areas that Malliciah Goodman needs to work on to become a better player. The first is his timing when the play starts. On several occassions, Goodman was observed to be the last one to stand up, giving the offensive linemen the advantage of latching onto him before he has a chance to hold them off with his long arms. Second, Malliciah has trouble shedding his blocker when his opponent does manage to put their hands on him. He does not appear to be powerful or utilize any counter techniques to get his opponent off of him. Malliciah Goodman needs to bulk up more from his relatively light weight, for a defensive linemen, and also work on gaining more functional strengths at the same time. Currently, he appears to fit in the mold of a finesse defensive player; instead he tries to push his opponent backwards, and he is quite ineffective against stronger and bigger players. Even though I say it is more fitting for him to be a finesse type of player, Malliciah lacks any type of techniques necessary for a smaller and lighter defensive end. His spin move is slow and uncoordinated and he is not quick. In a related frame, Goodman’s third issue is his slow straightline speed and change of directions. If the ballcarrier passes him, Goodman has very little chance of turning around to catchup. Lastly, there are times when Malliach Goodman lost sight of the play, and instead focused on the player directly in front of him. It is during these mistakes that he will over-pursue the ball carrier, and becomes ineffective against the running game.
Projection:
In terms of measurable, Malliciah is middle of the road compared to his peers as shown by his Combine and Pro Day numbers. He is exciting to watch when all cylinders click during a game, but he needs to learn to do so on a weekly basis. Many of Goodman’s flaws are coachable, thus he can reach a higher level. With that said, he is not going to be relied on early in his career, and may even be a rotational player throughout his NFL career. Mallicaih Goodman is already blessed with an extraordinary limbs. If he can learn techniques and play to his strength, the sky is the limit with him.
Although he has on occasion played standing up, Goodman is by all accounts a defensive end for both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes. He played mostly from the left side of the defensive line, and that position suits him well with his ability to make quarterbacks uncomfortable. He will probably not hear his name called until the third round at the earliest.
Grade: 7.7