B.J. Goodson says he is ready to go work for the New York Giants.
The Giants selected the former Clemson linebacker at No. 109 in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft on Saturday.
“I definitely wanted to be there. It is definitely a legendary place … a place where football is very, very important,” Goodson said on Giants.com on Saturday. “They talk about the New York Football Giants, man. Finding out how much that means to the city and the community … It’s really, really big.”
Goodson will come in as an outside backer for New York, a position he is familiar with. He played on the outside at Clemson in 2014, playing on the strong side of the defense. Of course in 2014 Clemson had Stephone Anthony, a first-round pick by New Orleans in 2015, playing at middle linebacker.
“I actually moved out to outside linebacker my junior year because Coach (Brent) Venables saw a fit. He saw how dedicated I was, he saw the talent in me, and he wanted to get me on the field,” Goodson said. “With having Stephone and Tony Steward, and having those guys out there, he just wanted to get me out there with those guys. So I learned the SAM linebacker position, and then once Stephone left, I went back home to the MIKE position and it played out from there.”
It did play out great for Goodson. He led the Tigers 10th-ranked defense with 160 tackles, including 14 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. He had 19 tackles against No. 4 Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff Semifinal game at the Orange Bowl and then 14 more against Alabama in the Championship Game.
“It was destined to happen. It was empowering, as far as my leadership and helping those guys win all of the games that we won and having the phenomenal year that we had. It was definitely just a blessing,” Goodson said. “I really, really enjoyed the ride. I’m ready to see where this journey will take me in New York. I’m ready.”
Though those in the draft listed Goodson as an outside linebacker in the NFL, but he says he can play in the middle too.
“I’m ready to get with the veterans and get up under their wings and learn as much as I can, and get ready to help that team get ready to win another Super Bowl,” he said.
Goodson says when he visited the Giants, he talked about how he could help them on special teams and that seems to be a place where he can make an impact.
“They saw me helping out on special teams. The special teams coach really likes me a lot,” Goodson said. “I really, really enjoyed the relationship with the linebackers coach. I really, really just fell in love with everything on my visit.”
New York likes the way Goodson plays in pass coverage. He had two interceptions in 2015, including one in the Orange Bowl.
“At Clemson I played as a three-down linebacker. It’s normal, it’s natural to me,” he said. “To me, it’s not a question, just something I want to work on every day and just something to get better at while perfecting my craft.
“You can never be too satisfied or never not be hungry, there’s always room for improvement.”