National Football League

Former Florida State DT Eddie Goldman is true student of the game

Published Apr. 20, 2015 12:19 p.m. ET

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Ross Jones

Think of former Florida State's Eddie Goldman as a throwback defensive lineman with a modern twist.

Growing up, Goldman's dad frequently showed him old cut ups and highlight tapes, teaching him about the legends of the game.

Goldman, 21, studied the greats like Joe Greene, Randy White, Merlin Olsen, Al Baker, Lee Roy Selmon and Jack Youngblood.

"I'd try to get Eddie to not only to be a master of his craft and a student of the game, but a historian of the game," Goldman's father, Eddie Muhammad said. "I wanted him to know who paved the way and laid the foundation for him."

The 6-foot-4, 336-pound broad-shouldered, bull-rushing defensive lineman is likely to be one of 11 Florida State prospects selected in the first four rounds of next week's NFL Draft.

"I wanted him to have that ferocity like a Randy White or a Joe Greene and to have a natural nastiness to his game because you need that in the trenches," Muhammad said. "I always looked to my era and pointed to guys in his era to make that connection."

Goldman, a consensus 5-star prospect and Under Armour All-American coming out of high school, felt the pressure of meeting high expectations when he arrived to Tallahassee, Fla.

Admittedly, Goldman's technique wasn't where it needed to be. He hit a steep learning curve.

Overflowing with size and athleticism, Goldman had little trouble having success in high school. Struck with adversity on the football field for the first time, Goldman continued to work.

Learning the intricacies of striking the blocker, shedding linemen with his hands and getting in a powerful stance, it took some time for everything to click.

"I came in and thought I was going to play right away, but that didn't happen," Goldman said. "I ended up riding the bench basically."

Fortunately, Goldman had talented players to learn from. He also was under the tutelage of one of the most respected position coaches in the nation. 

"It's a lot more than just tackling the running back and sacking the quarterback," Florida State associate head coach/defensive tackles Odell Haggins said. "When you're in high school you're big and strong. You can play high, look in the backfield and not use your hands to beat blockers. When you go to college and play at the level of Florida State, you're going to have to be a trained technician."

During the next summer, Goldman committed himself to becoming a better-rounded player. Goldman beat out two fifth-year seniors for the starting job in his sophomore season. Responding well to the coaching, Goldman's talent was unlocked.

"Eddie is a big, strong, athletic guy," Haggins said. "He's 6-foot-4, 330-plus pounds. Eddie can play the 3-technique, the nose guard or the 5-technique. Sometimes we'd put Eddie on the 5 and rush that big sucker off the edge. He has speed to power and would knock the tackles out of his shoes. He's very versatile where he can play three positions up front. He can play one-gap, two-gap, he can do it all.

"Recruiting at Florida State, I don't just go after guys who can one-two stop. I want a kid who can stretch the play and run to the sideline. He's that type of young man that I envisioned and he became that type of way."

Last year, Goldman blossomed. Collapsing pockets, creating havoc and pressuring the quarterback were natural once again. Starting 14 games, Goldman racked up eight tackles for loss, four sacks and made a ton of plays that don't show up in traditional stat sheets.

"His ceiling is so high, man," Haggins said. "I match him up with a lot of guys that I have, but he's just bigger and stronger. Whoever takes him will be shocked with a guy that big who can move lateral, rush the passer and push the pocket. He's going to do very well."

Projected to be a first-round pick, Goldman has reportedly visited with the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers.

Despite being invited to the NFL Draft in Chicago, Goldman opted to stay at home and watch with those closest to him.

"We call him the anti-diva," Muhammad said. "You don't find too many guys that shun the microphones and cameras. You don't find too many kids like that. His motto is 'I don't want to talk about it, I want to be about it.'"

Becoming an NFL player will certainly come with challenges, but it's not something that will be new to him.

"Coming into college, I had to overcome a lot of adversity," Goldman said. "I'm sure it's going to be that way in the NFL. I'll take some of the mistakes I made in college and try not to repeat them in the next level."

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