Mike Goodson is starting to round into the player the Carolina Panthers thought he would become when they drafted him in the third round last year.
The formeer Texas A&M product has replaced Tyrell Sutton as the team’s third-down back and kickoff returner this season.
And so far the results have been mostly positive.
Goodson is second on the team in receiving yards with 64 on five catches and has five carries for 20 yards. He also has returns of 45 and 43 yards, although he did make one mistake last week when he misplayed a kickoff and let it bounce off his hands and out of bounds at the 6-yard line.
But he’s a home run threat anytime he touches the ball – he returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown in the preseason – so the Panthers are willing to deal with a few hiccups every now and again.
He’d probably be on the field even more if the Panthers didn’t have one of the best one-two running back punches in football in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.