Chris Godwin will be Buccaneers’ new fan favorite wide receiver

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers keep adding weapons for Jameis Winston and snagged a reliable deep threat with the No. 84 pick in the 2017 NFL draft, claiming wide receiver Chris Godwin out of Penn State.

The receiver wasted no time getting acclimated to college ball, earning a starting role his freshman year and playing in all 13 games that season. While he may not have seen as many targets as he did in the two years that followed, Godwin still averaged 13 yards per reception and two touchdowns.

In 2016, he was just 18 yards shy of recording back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, while averaging at least 16.0 yards per catch those two years. He ultimately decided to declare a year early for the NFL and start training for the path to the draft, having finished his Penn State career with 154 receptions for 2,421 yards (15.7 yard per catch on average) and 18 total touchdowns.

Just look at what he did in the Rose Bowl earlier this year. Godwin did his part to keep Penn State in the game, despite ultimately falling to the Trojans 52-49. He totaled 187 yards and two touchdowns on nine receptions — averaging over 20 yards a catch.

The results from the final game of his collegiate career were a bit of a surprise, given the receiver had been violently ill with a stomach bug or some kind of food poisoning days ahead of the Rose Bowl. He was literally a game-time decision, but there was going to be very little trainers or family could have said to keep him out of that matchup against USC.

“I’m a team-first guy. Anything I can do to help my team, whether I’m feeling bad or not, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Godwin’s best performances as a Nittany Lion regularly came during bowl season.

As a guy who contributes positively on and off the field, Godwin offers the Buccaneers an offensive deep threat as well as a locker room guy. The receiver is an open book, and loves learning from those around him, as well as building up and teaching those coming in behind him. He’s willing to do whatever is needed for the team, and will quickly become a fan favorite.

When you look through Godwin’s highlight reel, his 16.0 yards per catch average makes complete sense. The receiver has an uncanny ability to snag passes in serious coverage, and often comes up with the contested catch.

His hands — combined with his 6’1, 209-pound frame — have the ability to save an errant pass and somehow come up with big yards (and the occasional touchdown).

“I’m an all-around receiver. I’m not afraid to do the dirty work. I’m not afraid to block. I take a lot of pride in blocking, in being at the right place at the right time, making contested catches and things that I’ve proven that I can do in my college career.”

While Godwin will mostly be used downfield, his willingness to block — and to work at excelling at it — is something not all receivers offer. As a guy who wants to contribute in all facets of the offense, he could see a gradual increase in his snap count throughout the season.

During his training in Pensacola, Godwin had his agent reach out to NFL legend Calvin Johnson in hopes of learning from someone who has had so much success at the next level.

“It was a great experience. I learned a lot of things from that guy. I was just mainly trying to pick his brain from everything in the classroom to training regimen to just how to get open and how to create separation in the NFL,” Godwin told media at the combine.

He already has a jump start on those rookies who won’t get that insight until minicamps start.

Godwin will likely find success in the NFL in large part thanks to his willingness to learn. Going into an NFL locker room as a rookie can be intimidating, but the vets are much more likely to take care of someone who is humble and ready to learn, rather than someone who thinks they will be the star of the team from day one.

The receiver’s humility and willingness to put in the hard work needed to succeed was something he tried selling teams at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine.

“I take a lot of pride in my work ethic. If they draft me, they’re going to get a guy who’s going to come in and work hard every day,” Godwin said.

His hands are small (9 1/8”) and that isn’t exactly a fixable problem. However, they served him well during his time at Penn State.

Something that could be a concern is his occasional struggle separating from physical man coverage. This was one of the specific reasons he met and worked with Johnson, to get an insider’s perspective of how get those mechanics down in the NFL.

The Buccaneers already added DeSean Jackson and O.J. Howard, and now they have Godwin in the mix as well. Winston leaned heavily on Mike Evans early in his career, but the Buccaneers’ wide receiver corps looks like one of the most enviable groups in the NFL now.