B. J. Goodson

B. J. Goodson (born May 29, 1993) is an American football linebacker for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson University and was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

High school career
A native of Lamar, South Carolina, Goodson attended Lamar High School where he played linebacker, tight end, and kick returner. An All-State selection in his junior year, Goodson was credited with 96 tackles and six tackles for loss and added 16 receptions for 220 yards and two touchdowns on offense. Lamar finished the 2009 season with a 12–2 record as the SCHSL Class A runner-up, losing 36–6 to Steve Taneyhill's Chesterfield in the state championship game. In his senior year, Goodson recorded 156 tackles on the season and was invited to the North-South All-Star Game in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Regarded as a three-star recruit by ESPN, Goodson was ranked as the No. 29 outside linebacker prospect in the class of 2011. He verbally committed to Clemson on the eve of his season season, over scholarship offers from Tennessee and Louisiana State, among others.

College career
After redshirting his initial year at Clemson, Goodson steadily progressed from a backup linebacker and valuable special teams player to starting linebacker and leading tackler of the Tigers defense. Appearing in 47 career games with 21 starts, he was credited with 205 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 21 quarterback pressures, five pass breakups and five recovered fumbles.

2016
The New York Giants selected Goodson in the fourth round (109th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. Goodson was the 15th linebacker drafted in 2016.

On June 19, 2016, the New York Giants signed Goodson to a four-year, $2.92 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $582,207.

Throughout training camp, Goodson competed against Keenan Robinson and Jasper Brinkley to be the starting middle linebacker after it was left vacant due to the retirement of Jon Beason. Head coach Ben McAdoo named Goodson the backup middle linebacker to start the regular season, behind starting middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard.

Goodson was inactive for the New York Giants’ season-opening 20–19 victory at the Dallas Cowboys. On September 18, 2016, Goodson made his professional regular season debut in the New York Giants’ 16–14 victory against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. On December 18, 2016, Goodson collected a season-high four combined tackles and forced a fumble during a 17–6 victory against the Detroit Lions in Week 15. He finished his rookie season in 2016 with nine combined tackles (five solo) and one forced fumble in 15 games and zero starts. Goodson primarily played special teams and was limited to 14 snaps on defense.

2017
Goodson entered training camp slated as the starting middle linebacker. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo held a competition between Goodson, Keenan Robinson, and Mark Herzlich during training camp. Head coach Ben McAdoo named Goodson the starting middle linebacker to begin the regular season. He started alongside outside linebackers Devon Kennard and Jonathan Casillas.

He made his first career start in the New York Giants’ season-opener at the Dallas Cowboys and recorded a career-high 18 combined tackles (14 solo) during a 19–3 loss. Goodson was sidelined for the next two games (Weeks 3–4) due to a shin injury. In Week 6, he recorded six combined tackles and made a season-high two pass deflections in the Giants’ 23–10 victory at the Denver Broncos. He was inactive for four consecutive games (Week 9–12) and the Giants’ 30–10 loss against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 after injuring his ankle. On December 4, 2017, the New York Giants fired head coach Ben McAdoo after the Giants fell to a 2–10 record. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo was named the interim head coach for the last four games of the season. Goodson was also inactive for a Week 16 loss at the Arizona Cardinals and was subsequently placed on injured reserve on December 27, 2017. He finished the season with 53 combined tackles (37 solo), two pass deflections, and one forced fumble in seven games and seven starts.

2018
On January 22, 2018, the New York Giants announced their decision to hire Minnesota Vikings’ offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur as their new head coach. Shumur hired James Bettcher as defensive coordinator and changed the base 4-3 defense into a base 3-4 defense. Goodson became a starting inside linebacker as a result of the change. Head coach Pat Shurmur named Goodson and Alec Ogletree the starting inside linebacker to begin the regular season. They started alongside outside linebackers Olivier Vernon and Kareem Martin.

He started in the New York Giants’ season-opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars and made three combined tackles and was credited with half a sack to mark the first of his career during a 20–15 loss. Goodson made his first career sack on Jaguars’ quarterback Blake Bortles for an eight-yard loss during the first quarter with teammate Kerry Wynn. On November 12, 2018, Goodson recorded six combined tackles, deflected two passes, and made two interceptions during a 27–23 victory at the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10. Goodson made his first career interception off a pass by 49ers’ quarterback Nick Mullens during the game. The pass was intended for wide receiver Kendrick Bourne and was returned by Goodson for a five-yard gain during the first quarter. Goodson was inactive during the Giants’ Week 13 victory against the Chicago Bears due to a neck injury. In Week 15, he collected a season-high nine solo tackles and broke up a pass attempt as the Giants lost 17–0 against the Tennessee Titans. He finished the 2018 NFL season with 61 combined tackles (44 solo), four pass deflections, two interceptions, and was credited with half a sack in 15 games and 13 starts. He received an overall grade of 66.2 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked as the 41st best grade among all linebackers in 2018.