Marquise Goodwin drops passes. In fact his drop rate is the third highest in the league, behind Raider Amari Cooper and Jaguar Marqise Lee. Nevertheless, fellow 49ers receiver Trent Taylor marvels at Goodwin’s ability to catch the ball.
“If you are running that fast, I know it’s not easy to catch it,” Taylor said. “A guy to have ball skills the way he does, to have ball skills the way he can go up in the air, it’s pretty impressive to watch. Watching him everyday at practice, you see him run and catch a ball, you sit there and your eyes get wide and you say, ‘Wow, that’s impressive.’ It doesn’t get old watching it. ”
Goodwin is also running routes for the first time in his five-year career. With Pierre Garcon on season-ending injured reserve with a neck issue, Goodwin has become the 49ers’ number one option in the receiving game. So he’s running every route imaginable – slants, in-cuts, crosses.
Before coming to the 49ers, the former Olympic long jumper just did speed routes, meaning long go routes and the comebacks, which entail running full speed, stopping, and then coming back for the ball.
Goodwin was actually attracted to the 49ers because coaches emphasized he would learn the entire route tree, not just speed routes.
However, when a receiver isn’t used to running into trafficked areas, dropping the ball is natural. But as 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, Goodwin continues to improve in practices and games.
And since taking over for Garcon, Goodwin is averaging 86.8 yards a game and last week, he caught 6 passes for 106 yards. What allows Goodwin to excel is not only his long speed, but also short-area quickness, which sprinters often don’t possess.
Goodwin always knew he had quickness along with speed and that’s part of the reason he signed a two-year $6 million deal with the 49ers, because he knew he would get opportunities to run short and intermediate pass patterns.
“I knew, where I re-signed, I wanted to kind of make my mark in the NFL,” Goodwin said. “I kinda wanted to change my personna in the NFL, dealing with injury. Being here has helped me develop as a receiver as a football player, it’s helped me to open up the route tree and help my teammates make plays.”
Taylor can attest to Goodwin’s threat opening up space for him as the slot receiver. Often, a safety must move over the top of Goodwin because if he gets past the cornerback, it’s a touchdown.
“Having a guy like Marquise, it opens up a whole other side of the playbook that you wouldn’t have unless you have that Olympic type of runner,” Taylor said. “We run so many more different plays with him because we have an element like that.”
