2022 Chiefs Draft Prospect: Mario Goodrich

NAME: Mario Goodrich

POSITION: Cornerback

SCHOOL: Clemson

HEIGHT: 6’

WEIGHT: 190 pounds

CAREER BACKGROUND

A native of Kansas City, Missouri, Mario Goodrich attended Lee’s Summit West High School. He was a four-year letterman on the hardwood during his high school basketball career. On the football field, Goodrich was a do it all type of player for Lee’s Summit West. He scored a touchdown five different ways by the end of his high school career. During his senior season, Goodrich recorded 49 tackles and 15 pass breakups. His final high school defensive numbers included 140 tackles, 24 pass breakups, 13 tackles for loss and 11 interceptions, five of which were returned for touchdowns. Offensively, Goodrich tallied 38 receptions, 641 receiving yards and nine touchdowns as a wide receiver during the course of his high school career. He was also a heavily experienced kick and punt returner, totaling over 50 career returns.

Mario Goodrich was one of the highest rated players in his class coming out of high school. He ranked in the top 150 among rankings from ESPN, 247Sports, Rivals and PrepStars. Namely, 247Sports ranked Goodrich as the sixth best cornerback in his class and as fourth best player overall to come out of the state of Missouri that year.

Role Player

Once entering the Clemson Tigers program, Goodrich saw the field during his 2018 freshman season under head coach Dabo Swinney and defensive coordinator Brent Venables. He played in 14 games in a reserve role, totaling 113 snaps. Goodrich was credited with seven tackles and three pass breakups. To boot, he also notched one tackle in the National Championship victory over Alabama. Goodrich saw a bit more production in 13 games and 205 snaps the following year. In the end, he totaled 13 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups. His 2020 junior season saw him become more involved in turnovers and vital moments against top teams around the nation. Goodrich would finish with 16 tackles, two interceptions (both in one game), a fumble recovery and a pass breakup over the course of 237 snaps in eight games. The thing was, the Clemson defender was once again brought up slowly and was used sparingly in a niche role.

Breakout Campaign

That role completely changed for the cornerback in his senior season. 2021 allowed for Goodrich to become a full-time starter. His 2021 snap count (582) more than doubled his 2020 snap count (237), according to Tiger Net. Mario Goodrich took that chance and exploded onto the scene. He was a force in 11 games, displaying sound instincts, speed, sticky, physical coverage and a tackling prowess. He has a sort of confidence that is necessary for the position.

Goodrich finished 2021 with 42 tackles, nine pass breakups, two interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) and one forced fumble. To cap it off, he had that lone interception for a touchdown and lone forced fumble in the Cheez-It Bowl against Iowa State. He went on to earn Cheez-It Bowl MVP for his bowl game performance. Furthermore, Goodrich and his other cornerback teammate, Andrew Booth Jr., each earned first team All-ACC selections. Mario has also accepted an invite to play in the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl. The Senior Bowl game will take place on Saturday, February 5, at 2:30 p.m. eastern time at South Alabama University’s Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. NFL Network will air the broadcast.

SCOUTING REPORT

Instead of listing positives and negatives for traits, this year we will be listing the best trait of each prospect and work our way down to the biggest area of improvement/absent trait(s), from top to bottom.

Tackling

You do not always see tackling as a top trait for a cornerback entering the NFL level. But for Mario Goodrich, he does this correctly seemingly every single time. He is not afraid to put his face in the fire and make the more difficult tackles. Meanwhile, Goodrich works to always wrap up and not lead with the shoulder, displaying exquisite tackling form. He is also gifted with an extremely large tackle radius. On the other hand, Goodrich is not afraid of working through contact. This cornerback appears to maintain a consistently low strike zone. Lastly, he does well to stay patient and not become overzealous with his tackle attempts. Goodrich routinely has sound body control and remains in his run fit, not going too early or too late towards no man’s land.

Competitiveness

It is evident that Goodrich wants to infuse a physical brand of football. He answered the bell for Clemson over and over again against bigger bodied receivers. Goodrich displays a grinding mentality outside the numbers. Essentially meaning that, he is not afraid to make the game choppy, and does not worry about being technically savvy or flashy. He has had plenty of success in that regard, being able to frustrate opposing pass catchers. This is a player that could have transferred away from Clemson. But after receiving limited snaps early in his college career, Goodrich used his hard work to climb up the starting cornerback ladder for the Tigers.

Football IQ

Some of the things that Goodrich does in this area will not always jump off the screen. Overall, he wins most of the reps with subtle habits and effort. He routinely displayed excellent eye discipline for the football itself. Goodrich has also made an emphasis to keep opposing receivers or ball carriers towards his inside shoulder. The angles he takes in space are noticeably sharp. Furthermore, he proved he can quickly find the football in space, if need be. Goodrich’s trigger and processing speed in space is amazingly rapid.

Ball Skills

Due to his limited experience as a starter, Goodrich did not finish with a ton of ball production at Clemson. What he produced in 2021 was still stellar, however. His per-target numbers on the year were robust. With more playing time moving forward, it appears that Goodrich is rather durable in this area. This is all because of his stout nose for the football. He also has soft, natural hands and keeps those mitts tenacious at the catch point.

Length

Goodrich had success when clamping and squeezing downhill against opposing receivers. This is largely due to his sufficient length. Many NFL teams long for those extra inches on the outside. Many times, Goodrich used that to his advantage. He has consistently been able to throw the opponent off balance during their route. The same thing occurs when Goodrich presses at the line of scrimmage. He also infuriates quarterbacks by being able to clog up throwing lanes. Finally, that length can lead to a lack of focus when considering the opposing team’s ball security and being able to make clean catches.

Coverage Skills

This is an area where Goodrich will likely improve with more reps and as time goes on. In man coverage, he is efficient when playing press at the line of scrimmage. As mentioned above, he can frustrate opposing receivers early on during the route. Goodrich maintains solid leverage and can get in the opponent’s face when working down the field.

In zone coverage, his intelligence as a processor can be both positive and negative. Goodrich is quick to jump throwing lanes in front of him. Yet, he can sometimes become too focused on the ball and lose sight of his man. Goodrich showed sneaky good body positioning, though. And his focus on preserving his landmarks, allows him to recover in space, if need be.

Athleticism

There are still things that Goodrich is suffice at in this area. However, he is just not elite athletically. Goodrich will not be considered to have more athletic upside than most of the opponents that he is covering. Overall, he has above average short area quickness. Goodrich also appears comfortable when mirroring receivers one on one. More importantly, he remains under control and does not become stiff during his backpedal or in space.

Versatility

Goodrich is probably more versatile in his abilities, rather than his role on the team. He excels in both press man coverage and zone coverage. Inversely, Goodrich is not quite as successful in off-man coverage. He can likely handle any and all roles on special teams.

There is not as much versatility with what he can do from an alignment perspective. Goodrich is truly an outside only cornerback. There is also a belief that his traits are more scheme specific. Possibly, more playing time will allow him to wear more hats in a defense. Goodrich is not someone who appears to be scheme diverse at the moment, however.

CHIEFS FIT

The Kansas City Chiefs have two cornerbacks scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in 2022. One, Charvarius Ward, has obviously played many snaps over the last few years. His progression year after year has been crucial for the Chiefs passing defense. It may be difficult to re-sign him, with other needs on the team and likely interest from outside teams. The other cornerback set to be an UFA is Mike Hughes. He was used more sparingly this year in his lone campaign with KC. Results left much to be desired.

Not only is the need for cornerback ripe for the Chiefs, but there are also many items that make Goodrich a fit for his hometown team. He is long and physical, while also being tenacious at the catch point. These are all things that Steve Spagnuolo and this Kansas City team look for at outside cornerback. Moreover, his comfort and success in press man coverage are right in line with the Chiefs defensive scheme. His need for polish and development could also be of interest to Kansas City as well, given the position he plays.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs draft prospect profiles throughout this winter and spring. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.