With the wide receiver 40-yard dashes in the books, we have established that Marquise Goodwin and Tavon Austin were fast, Goodwin slightly more so.
Then again, we already knew most of that, and that one of them looked like a football player during the regular season.
The difference between the two represents one of the bigger challenges for evaluators, trying to justify physical gifts with on-field production.
It’s clear that Goodwin has the physical talent. His unofficial times were both under 4.3 seconds, while Austin’s second was a 4.31 after they both logged 4.25s the first time through.
But that didn’t mean much on the field the last four years. Goodwin only touched the ball 38 times this season at Texas, with 26 receptions. He caught 120 passes in four seasons for the Longhorns.
Austin caught 114 passes his senior year alone, and had more yards from scrimmage his senior year (1,932) than Goodwin had in four years (1,780).
Weighing how much of that is the personnel around him (Austin was playing with a first-round quarterback in Geno Smith) and how much was scheme is something pro scouts have to decide.
Because while Goodwin has shown himself to be fast, his performance in the other drills will be important to show if he’s a football player.