When the Nets signed Archie Goodwin to a 10-day contract last week, coach Kenny Atkinson stressed the 6-foot-5 combo guard filled a lot of boxes. He is athletic, young. He has talent and upside. There was something else.

“Played football in high school. I like that,” Atkinson said. “Maybe that’s old school. I keep telling [general manager] Sean [Marks], we need more football players.”

Yeah, you just never know when you will run an end-around.

Goodwin, in a tiny sample of two games plus practice, has shown athleticism and talent. He has worn the handle “combo guard” since his Kentucky collegiate days, but prefers the point over shooting guard. Atkinson agrees. And there’s something about the football background Goodwin sees as a plus.

“In how aggressive I am in attacking the rim, never being scared to go in the paint with big guys, it helped,” said Goodwin, 22, who faces the team for which he played three seasons, the Suns, Thursday at Barclays Center, where the Nets’ Jeremy Lin is listed as “probable” to return from a right ankle sprain.

“You can’t be all football with basketball. You have to have some finesse to your game. In terms of being mentally tough and being able to take a hit, yeah, it definitely plays a big part,” the former quarterback said.

Goodwin impressed Tuesday in the 98-96 win over Detroit. He scored 10 points and added five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 18 minutes. Not a bad stat line for a guy trying to earn a second 10-day contract.

“We’ve got to discuss it as an organization, but I would say it’s trending very positive,” Atkinson said of Goodwin sticking. “And that’s not just from a basketball standpoint but from a culture standpoint. From the first day I met him, how he presents himself every day.

“We look at him as a one, that’s kind of how we’ve approached it which helps when you’re developing a guy and you have a consensus.”

One area to develop? Shooting. Driving to the rim has been his game. Shooting, not so much. Goodwin’s shot is, well, not Klay Thompson-esque.

“I’ve seen a lot worse,” said Atkinson, stressing Goodwin needs to build confidence.

That’s why Goodwin does not look back on his Phoenix days, when his coaches included Jeff Hornacek. Still, does he see Thursday as a “told ya so” moment?

“Honestly, no,” said Goodwin, who after being signed out of the D-League is more intent on sticking with Brooklyn — hopefully as a point guard.

“I’m better at point guard,” Goodwin said, “because I’m way more effective with the ball in my hands. I’m not the best shooter in the world. I feel I am a pretty decent shooter, but that’s not my strength. Me with the ball in pick-and-roll situations, getting it on fast breaks, getting it to the rim, kicking it out to teammates, that’s what it’s about for me.”

And staying for 10 days which can be gut-wrenching.

“It’s a grind,” teammate Quincy Acy said. “But he has his head in the right place. High-character guy. He’s here to work … Keep that up and coach will fall in love with him.”

Before the Nets called Lin “probable,” Atkinson sounded optimistic of a return. “My gut is it’s very positive. … I like what I see in him shooting etcetera.”

Acy twice went to the Elite Eight — and lost — with Baylor, to Duke in 2010 and Kentucky in 2012. He can’t watch Baylor in the East Regional at MSG Friday: “We play the same night. One of the coaches has hit me up, so I might stop by and say hello to the fellas,” Acy said.