The organizer of college football’s premier all-star game is high on one of Clemson’s top prospects for this year’s NFL Draft.
To the point that he believes Mario Goodrich could further vault himself up draft boards.
“He will continue to rise up draft boards, I’m pretty certain, because he did for us this year,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said Monday during an appearance on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast.
Nagy, an NFL scout for nearly two decades before being hired by the Senior Bowl in 2018, went on to say Goodrich wouldn’t have gotten a Senior Bowl invite before this past season. Then Goodrich morphed into one of the ACC’s top corners in his final season at Clemson, earning first-team all-conference honors along with teammate Andrew Booth Jr.
Goodrich finished the season with a team-best nine pass breakups and two interceptions, including a pick-six in Clemson’s Cheez-It Bowl win over Iowa State.
“He really played his way into the game,” Nagy said.
Nagy also pointed out the chances Goodrich got playing opposite Booth, who’s widely projected to be a first-round pick in this year’s draft. With teams opting not to challenge Booth as often in the passing game, Goodrich took advantage of the extra opportunities.
Nagy compared it to a similar situation at Cincinnati, where Coby Bryant played alongside All-American Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner at corner this past season. They will join Goodrich at the Senior Bowl.
“I think sometimes it can benefit the other corner,” Nagy said. “Coby won the Thorpe Award (as college football’s top defensive back) playing opposite Sauce Gardner. He got a lot of balls thrown his way, which is great. He got to showcase his playmaking ability, and I think Mario had some of that as well.
“He’s a big, long corner. … He’s got all the tools.”
Goodrich will suit up for the American Team in the Senior Bowl, which will be played Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game will be televised on the NFL Network.
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