WR Godwin looking good for opener

TAMPA — His first came last. Chris Godwin’s first touchdown reception in the NFL came on the final play of the Bucs’ season.

Trailing by a point with nine seconds left, Godwin went up high over Saints cornerback Ken Crawley and dragged him into the end zone for a 39-yard touchdown reception from Jameis Winston to give the Bucs a 31-24 win on Dec. 31.

Godwin has had to cling to that highlight for eight months, replaying it in his head anytime he needed a reminder of what he is capable of doing.

“I think it did a lot for my confidence,’’ Godwin said. “I’ve always believed I could play at this level, but you know there’s certain things when you get into the league that you imagine doing for a while. That first catch. The first touchdown, things like that.

“For me to have my first touchdown come on the last play of the season, it took that weight off my shoulders and it was like ‘All right, I can keep rolling.’ ”

Confidence is the key to playing the receiver position. When you have it, you can make moves on the field as if controlled by a joystick.

In his second season out of Penn State, Godwin could become the X factor in the Bucs’ offense.

When the first depth chart was released Tuesday, Mike Evans was one starting receiver. On the other side at receiver, it read DeSean Jackson OR Chris Godwin.

It was a not-so-subtle recognition that Godwin has performed well enough to be considered a starter.

In his final two games, with Jackson out with an ankle injury, Godwin caught 10 passes for 209 yards, and that season-ending gamewinning score.

“Since it was the last play of the season, it’s going to be a little harder for that [to carry over],’’ coach Dirk Koetter said. “But you know, Chris makes plays every day. When guys make ‘wow’ plays whether it be practice or games, I think Chris’ reputation in our building is already growing. … Chris is doing all the things that he needs to be doing to be a real good player in this league.’’

A second-round pick, Godwin wasn’t expected to make much of an impact as a rookie. His biggest contribution came by covering kicks on special teams.

But when Jackson went down against Miami, Godwin made some big catches down the stretch to set up the game-winning field goal. He finished the year with 34 catches for 525 yards. He enters 2018 feeling like a different player.

“Yeah, it’s night and day,’’ Godwin said. “Week 1 as a rookie, I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t how the games would go or anything like that. And now a year in, I’ve gotten a good amount of experience from my first year so I’m ready to go. I’m excited about the next step.’’

Receiver is the position of strength for the Bucs offense. The passing game runs through Evans, with four consecutive seasons of 1,000 receiving yards or more. Jackson, who only caught 50 passes last year, still has the kind of speed to alter defenses. Adam Humphries was second on the club in receptions last season and a reliable slot receiver. At 6-foot-1, 209-pounds, Godwin is big, fast and physical with visegrip hands.

“Their playmakers, they’re playing with a lot of confidence,’’ Saints coach Sean Payton said.