Iowa vs. Wisconsin Takes: Tyler Goodson Isn't Playing Like An NFL Running Back Right Now

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As a fan of college football this year, I have no specific allegiance to any particular team. However, I will be writing a number of articles regarding certain programs because of my unique knowledge and perspective associated with said teams.

First things first: I truly believe Tyler Goodson is the most physically-gifted running back Iowa has had since the Shonn Greene/Brandon Wegher era. His ability to force missed tackles, generate explosive runs, and make dynamic plays out of the backfield while packing a solid amount of power in his runs make him the most appealing three-down RB prospect Iowa has had in the program recently (including players like Akrum Wadley, Jordan Canzeri, LeShun Daniels, and Mekhi Sargent). He's simply not playing up to his ability right now.

I really want to tread lightly when it comes to "calling out" individual college athletes, but I do think it's fair to point out when a player is clearly not playing up to their own standard. Throughout much of this season, Tyler Goodson simply hasn't been doing that. The offensive line struggles absolutely have a factor in Goodson's career-low 4.1 yards per carry (the team's average is an abominable 2.9, for what it's worth), but I will point out that there have been numerous instances throughout the season where a play was blocked well enough for a solid gain only to have Goodson tackled in the backfield for a loss of two. Couple that with some back-breaking miscues/mental errors on major downs (e.g. slipping in the backfield, dropping passes, bad pass protection), and there are clearly areas for improvement that can come from the former First-Team All-Big Ten tailback.

There's been enough of a sample size at this point to begin drawing certain conclusions about what is truly going on with Iowa's offense. It's easy to point to the offensive line (justifiably) or the quarterback position (less justifiably) as the anchors that weigh this unit down, but I want to draw attention to the fact that Goodson must improve his play as well not only for the good of the team, but for his own NFL draft stock. The running back position's value in general is at an all-time low in the NFL (for good reason, in my opinion), and prospects like Goodson who are good all-around players without elite size or athleticism are at risk of not being drafted at all because college football is full of decent RB prospects each year. The way to catch the league's eye is to do one (or more) of a few things really well:

1. Be dynamic in the passing game

2. Gain solid yards consistently on almost every carry of every game in college

3. Be a positive-impact pass-blocker when called to do it

1. Goodson has historically been very good as a pass-catcher out of the backfield, which is what drives my thought that he is a legitimate NFL prospect. He needs to keep growing this area of his game, though. He'll have instances where he can break a huge gain with a favorable matchup, but I think he has at least as many plays (particularly on HB screen passes) where he gets tripped up too easily and leaves yards on the table. He also has shown that he is a bit shaky catching the ball when the pass is off-target and contested, which won't impress scouts who will expect him to make tough catches at the next level.

2. Goodson's physicality as a runner can flash at times, but he is extremely prone to losing yards almost every time he touches the ball. Part of this is play-calling (not his fault) and the run-blocking struggles Iowa has had (definitely not his fault), but Goodson has a tendency to be a bit static in the backfield at times as he waits for running lanes to open up. This allows opposing defenses to catch him for negative yards at a high rate (roughly 33% of Goodson's runs this season have gone for no gain or negative yards). Patience is a virtue, but losing yards is not. I can understand if Goodson is attempting to break a big play because the offense has struggled to move the ball, but negative rushing plays are extremely damaging to his team. While the other RBs on the team might not net the same amount of explosive plays as Goodson does, they generally seem to come in and get consistent gains of 3-4 yards. Goodson needs to hit the ground running and explode into the line more consistently to eliminate the negative runs.

3. This is fairly straight-forward. Tyler Goodson isn't a good pass-blocker at this stage of his career. While it seems odd to value that aspect of a running back's skill set, it's clearly something the NFL looks at when assessing players. Look no further than Goodson's 2020 backfield partner Mekhi Sargent, who excelled in that aspect of the game and now finds himself on an NFL roster despite mediocre physical attributes. Unless you're a true blue-chip athlete at the RB position, you have to find ways to add value to your prospect profile. Improving from a relatively bad blocker to even an average blocker would boost Goodson's NFL chances immensely.

As we've talked about, Tyler Goodson needs to step up a few areas of his own performance that he can control going forward if he expects to be entering the upcoming NFL Draft. Fortunately for Goodson, he has a very favorable matchup this upcoming Saturday against one of the nation's worst rushing defenses in Northwestern. I want to be realistic, but simultaneously demanding of a player who has shown tremendous ability in the past. If Goodson can top 125 yards on 5+ yards per carry, 4-5 receptions for 35+ yards, and at least one touchdown, I'd consider the day a success. He's only topped 100 yards one time this entire season (that's not good), and it was against Kent State. It's time for him to get back on track and play like he's shown in the past. He simply hasn't been doing that lately, and the team (and his draft stock) are suffering because of it.