Antwan Goodley Is Eager to Prove Scouts Wrong About Baylor Wide Receivers

Baylor has become a wide receiver factory in recent years, as they are responsible for churning out quality NFL talent at the position. The latest in the pantheon of talented Baylor wide receivers to have a shot at NFL glory is Antwan Goodley. Art Briles — the architect of Baylor’s spread attack prides himself on forcing opposing defenses to essentially cover every blade of grass on the field.

Unfortunately due to idiosyncrasies found in Briles’ offense such as receivers lining up strictly on the right side of the field on every play, and slot receivers lining up outside the hash marks, there’s a stigma attached to Baylor wide receivers. Though multiple Baylor wide receivers are currently enjoying success in the NFL, their lack of exposure to concepts in a pro-style offense gives many talent evaluators pause. With that said, his production is intriguing; Goodley has amassed 2,169 yards and 19 touchdowns on 131 receptions in his last two seasons at Baylor.

At five-foot-ten, 210, pounds, Goodley has very good quickness in and out of breaks, natural hands, versatility necessary to play running back on occasion, and 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash to go along with the aforementioned production. So why are NFL decision makers hesitant to take a flyer on a player with so much production and skill? The answer lies in the unknown. Will Goodley absorb the dense verbiage associated with a pro-style offense? Will he feel out of place if he’s suddenly asked to line up anywhere other than the right side of the formation? And last but certainly not least, can he run an entire route tree?

Goodley wasn’t asked to perform many of the aforementioned tasks regularly, if at all at Baylor. However, he has taken the first step toward proving that he is capable of NFL success by performing admirably during Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama. Goodley expressed that he feels the NFL game is totally different than what he’s experienced at Baylor, but there are transferable aspects of Baylor’s offense that exist in the NFL.

While route combinations and sight adjustments are different, the same routes he’ll be asked to run in the NFL are indeed present in Baylor’s playbook. Additionally, his quickness and ability to separate from defenders at the “stem” of his route is clearly a strong suite for him.

Goodley is a versatile weapon whose prodigious feats warrant much consideration. More of Goodley’s game translates to the NFL than even he realizes, but he is humble and ready to compete to prove his worth to NFL teams. How he projects to the NFL isn’t quite the enigmatic projection many think. Goodley already has many tangible qualities that bode well for NFL success, and it would behoove teams to give him the praise and recognition he deserves.

In the video below, Goodley talks about his career at Baylor, his family and what he hopes to accomplish in the NFL.