The San Francisco 49ers have overhauled their wide receiver depth chart this offseason, with Pierre Garçon and Marquise Goodwin joining Jeremy Kerley as the likely big contributors in the unit. Kerley will operate out of the slot and Garçon will serve as the No. 1 receiver.
Marquise Goodwin could be the most intriguing, however. He will get a variety of opportunities, but the most important thing he brings to the table is world class speed. Recently, ESPN’s Matt Bowen broke down the fastest players in the NFL, and ranked Goodwin second only to Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Goodwin ran a 4.27 40, 10.24 in the 100-yard dash, and 21.24 in the 200-yard dash. Here’s what Bowen had to say about Goodwin
The former Bills wideout, who was a two-time NCAA long jump champ, also has long speed outside of the numbers. I saw it back at the Senior Bowl workouts when Goodwin was coming out of Texas. He looked like a true 4.2 guy on the field down in Mobile, and that has translated to his NFL tape. Goodwin's straight-line speed makes him a consistent deep-ball threat on the fade and the post. In 2016, Goodwin put that speed on display when he blew past veteran cornerback Darrelle Revis for an 84-yard touchdown on a national stage (watch). This is a straight go route. Remember, you don't need any window dressing when you have Goodwin's speed. Throw it deep and let him go get it.
Goodwin was not productive in Buffalo, catching a total of 49 passes for 780 yards and six touchdowns in four seasons. However, he is excited about his opportunities in Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Specifically, he talked about being able to run more routes than he has in the past.
“I know a lot better things are in store,” Goodwin said. “I’m running a lot of different routes that I never had the opportunity to run before. I’m just excited. I’m excited I can assume a different role.
“People assumed I couldn’t run routes. So when they actually see me run routes, they’re like, ‘Wow, this dude’s fast and he can stop fast and he can run routes, and he can catch.’ It sickens me that people would think I’m just this fast dude who can’t run routes or can’t catch.”
It remains to be seen how this will play out for him, but it does sound like he’ll get some serious opportunities in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.