The San Francisco 49ers introduced two new wide receivers on Friday as Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin met the media. Aldrick Robinson is expected to join them, replenishing a wide receiver depth chart that has struggled the past couple years.
Goodwin brings incredible speed to the team. He told the media he thinks he is the fastest man in the NFL, and his work competing for a spot in the Olympics would certainly put him in the conversation. However, even with this speed, he has not been overly productive. In four seasons with the Buffalo Bills, he accumulated 49 receptions for 780 yards and six touchdowns. He played 24 total games his first three seasons in Buffalo, but then played 15 in his final season.
On Friday, he addressed the lack of significant numbers, talking about having specific roles and being a team player. But then he offered up quite the comparison. He said that statistics are like seeing a girl in a bikini. You can see a lot, but you can’t see everything.
I think most people would agree that statistics are not the final answer to analyzing a player. They can provide a lot of context, but it is just one tool. That being said, Goodwin has a lot to prove with the 49ers. Kyle Shanahan made great use of Taylor Gabriel in Atlanta after Cleveland cut him. There has been a lot of talk about Goodwin potentially filling a similar role. If he can do that, there could be a bright future for him and the 49ers offense. Now we’ll see if he can stay healthy and execute on the role.
New #49ers WR Marquise Goodwin: 'Stats are like seeing a girl in a bikini. It shows a lot, but it doesn't show everything' pic.twitter.com/jnOnxaoOMS
— KNBR (@KNBR) March 10, 2017