10 Fringe Prospects Who Boosted Their Value at the NFL Combine

Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State

Profile: 6’1”, 209 lbs., 31-5/8” arms, 9-1/8” hands

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver Chris Godwin has helped the offense hardly skip a beat when top receiver Allen Robinson skipped to the pros in 2014.

After a bit of a slow freshman season, Godwin averaged 1,041.5 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns on 64 receptions (16.27 yards per reception) over his final two years. This past year was slightly down from his sophomore peak, but he still ended up as a top-40 receiver by yardage in the FBS (minimum 50 catches) and earned the 15th-most yards per reception. His profile looks promising indeed.

His Combine performance solidified his chances of being an early-round pick in the NFL Draft, too. After clocking in with a strong 4.42 40-yard dash at legitimate number-one receiver height and weight, he proceeded to decimate the rest of the drills. Godwin had the best short shuttle among wideouts with a 4.00, and a strong 7.01 three-cone, as well as a 36-inch vertical and 10’6” broad jump.

Godwin’s comparables are full of NFL contributors who were solidly sized with speed as a defining characteristic: Pierre Garcon (94.69%) leads the way, with Derek Hagan (93.78%), Torrey Smith (93.36%), and Jeff Janis (93.11%) not far behind.