Goodman says he is "just in awe" and happy to be a Falcon

Goodman says he spent three months training in Atlanta

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Sat Apr 27 17:08:22 GMT-04:00 2013

Former Clemson defensive end Malliciah Goodman Malliciah Goodman
Defensive End
#97 6-4, 270
Florence, SC
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The Atlanta Falcons took Goodman with pick No. 127 in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft Saturday afternoon, and he will play his home games in Atlanta’s Georgia Dome.

Goodman finished his career with one of his best games when he had three sacks in the victory over LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. He had 28 tackles, including seven sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in 2012. He also ranked in the top 10 in the nation in forced fumbles with four.

Goodman told TigerNet he was excited to finally have an NFL home.

“I am just in awe,” Goodman told TigerNet Saturday after he was picked. “It is a great feeling to finally have a home and know where I am going to play. I am looking forward to it.”

Goodman said he is very familiar with Atlanta, and not just because of the bowl game.

“I like it there. I was in Atlanta for three months for training,” he said. “From what I know, Atlanta has a great organization filled with great people. They are a very good team, and they made the playoffs last year. There are a lot of good things happening with Atlanta and the organization.”

Goodman said he finally learned of his destination when Atlanta head coach Mike Smith and General Manager Thomas Dimitroff called his cell phone.

“I didn’t really know where I was going, but I knew I might go to Atlanta because of the interest they were showing,” he said. “I talked to Coach Smith and Mr. Dimitroff. Coach Smith said he was excited about having me on the team and that he was looking forward to working with me. Hopefully I can go in there and earn some playing time at the left defensive end spot.”

Goodman said he was at home with friends and family in Florence when his phone rang.

“Everybody was excited, and there were a bunch of tears and stuff,” he said. “They were all just as excited as I am. Everybody kept telling me how excited and proud they were.”