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NFL draft profile: Cal QB Jared Goff, a gifted rhythm passer

Eric Edholm


Shutdown Corner counted down the top 50 prospects in the 2016 NFL draft with a scouting report and quotes from NFL evaluators.

13. Cal QB Jared Goff
6-foot-4, 215 pounds

Key stat: Owns more than 20 school records, including career passing yards (12,200) and TD passes (96), but has 24 career fumbles and starting record of 14-23.

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The skinny: The son of former MLB catcher Jerry Goff and a former college baseball prospect who picked football as his sport. Jared enrolled early at Cal and became first true freshman in school history to start his first game at quarterback. The Bears struggled through a 1-11 season in Sonny Dykes' first year there after the firing of Jeff Tedford, who recruited Goff. He drew praise for a good statistical freshman season while taking a beating behind a new offensive line and an offense that changed schemes completely from Tedford's pro-style system to Dykes' "Air Raid."

A two-time captain, Goff put up huge passing totals the next three seasons and threw only 30 INTs in 1,569 attempts. Five of those picks came in a highly anticipated matchup with nationally ranked Utah, owners of one of the best defenses in the country in 2015, but Goff still had his team in a position to win before his final INT. He finished his career strong, and went on to the NFL scouting combine and impressed further. There, he worked well on the field, tested well athletically and turned in consistently strong team interviews. Goff won't turn 22 until Week 6 this season.

Best-suited destination: Although some NFL evaluators believe Goff could develop into a proper pocket passer, his upbringing the past three seasons in a spread, shotgun-based, up-tempo offense likely means that he'd adapt quicker in a scheme with similar elements. There are traces of the spread in almost every NFL playbook, but some teams use it more than others — and new teams adding more dimensions, such as with Chip Kelly migrating from Philadelphia to the San Francisco 49ers. Goff also has experience punting, so a progressive/field-position-conscious team could use him in this way. Hey, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger are two of the better pooch-punting QBs in the league, so it's not a knock.

Ideally, Goff would be best behind an established offensive line playing for a warm-weather team, but you can say that about most quarterbacks. His success rate has not been as strong and his experience limited in poor elements, and Goff took a beating behind a lot of "scat" protections in college with a gimmicky scheme that featured a lot of run-pass option plays and little shelter from the pass-rush storm against strong defensive fronts.

Upside: Well, he's in play for the No. 1 pick in the draft — can't go much higher than that, after all — if the Los Angeles Rams, as some believe, are leaning his way. At this point, the scouting work has been done. It basically comes down to the Rams making a call on their guy. He showed toughness at Cal adjusting to a program that was at rock bottom, and he handled adversity well. Goff might be better suited to help pick up a team that's needing a system reboot.

Downside: Suppose the Rams instead select Carson Wentz first; the Cleveland Browns at No. 2 could opt to pass on Goff and take a position player. There's little to zero chance under any circumstances now that Goff will fall out of the top 10, and there's a strong chance he'll be taken first or second. But his lack of size and pro-style experience, fumbling issues (especially early in his career), pocket presence to sniff out pressure and good but not elite arm talent are factors that could work against him when splitting hairs vs. Wentz.

Scouting hot take: "He'd be my choice. Our system would be friendly to him. Shotgun, tempo, half-field reads, get the ball out quick — that's what he does best. I have not studied him extensively, but we looked at him and what I have seen, that's where he [excels].” — AFC quarterbacks coach

Player comp: Andy Dalton, who gets a bad rap but who has developed nicely the past few years

Previous profiles

50. Ohio State WR Braxton Miller
49. Indiana OT Jason Spriggs
48. Florida DL Jonathan Bullard
47. Texas Tech OT Le'Raven Clark
46. Arkansas TE Hunter Henry
45. Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard
44. Michigan State QB Connor Cook
43. West Virginia S Karl Joseph
42. Michigan State DE-OLB Shilique Calhoun
41. Notre Dame WR Will Fuller
40. Pitt WR Tyler Boyd
39. Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah
38. Alabama DE-DT A'Shawn Robinson
37. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
36. Memphis QB Paxton Lynch
35. Alabama C Ryan Kelly
34. Louisiana Tech DT Vernon Butler
33. Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche
32. Georgia DE-OLB Leonard Floyd
31. USC S-LB Su'a Cravens
30. Alabama LB Reggie Ragland
29. Mississippi State DT-DE Chris Jones
28. Baylor NT Andrew Billings
27. Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith
26. Houston CB William Jackson III
25. Alabama RB Derrick Henry
24. Ohio State CB Eli Apple
23. Eastern Kentucky DE-OLB Noah Spence
22. Baylor WR Corey Coleman
21. Ohio State OT Taylor Decker
20. Kansas State OG Cody Whitehair
19. Michigan State OT Jack Conklin
18. Alabama DE-DT Jarran Reed
17. TCU WR Josh Doctson
16. Clemson CB Mackensie Alexander
15. Ohio State LB Darron Lee
14. Clemson DE Kevin Dodd

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!