Jared Goff was one of the hottest names in the draft world this fall. The QB from Cal has been highly regarded as the top QB prospect in this class. However, in the last few weeks his name has been buried beneath the buzz of first Paxton Lynch, the QB out of Memphis, and most recently, the QB out of North Dakota State, Carson Wentz.
Do not let this recent buzz make you forget about Goff's impressive abilities. There is a reason his name was the most mentioned when talking about QB prospects this fall. He, like Liam Neeson, has a very particular set of skills. Only these skills are only deadly on the football field.
Let's start with Goff's weaknesses first, because, well, why not?
Arm strength: A lot has been made about Goff's arm strength, or rather the lack thereof. It is true he doesn't put a lot of zip on the ball, and it becomes a serious issue whenever he doesn't time his throws correctly. Goff usually throws with great anticipation, but whenever he doesn't anticipate properly, his lack of arm strength can lead to turnovers. However, I believe that he can gain velocity on his throws, which leads us to our next weakness...
Lower body mechanics: When Goff throws, he almost always throws off of his back foot. He doesn't always necessarily fade away from his throws, but he certainly doesn't step into them either. I believe Goff could gain some zip on his throws if he got into the very important habit of stepping into his throws. This is the main reason why I am not too worried about Goff's arm strength.
Deep accuracy: Goff is a very accurate quarterback on short and intermediate throws, but he, like many other quarterbacks, struggles with deep accuracy. This, like his arm strength, doesn't overly concern me. Most young quarterbacks struggle with deep accuracy. Usually if a draft eligible QB has an accurate deep ball, I view it as a sweet bonus.
Now, let's move on to those special Liam Neeson-like skills that Goff possesses.
Accuracy: I already mentioned Goff's accuracy in the above section. He is very accurate in the short to intermediate range. This where most quarterbacks make their money. A successful QB must be consistently accurate on the most common throws they make, which is short to intermediate throws. The reason for Goff's accuracy leads me to the next, and perhaps his best, special skill...
Footwork: Goff displays fancy footwork in every game that he participates in. His footwork is impressive for any QB, let alone a draft prospect. This is the one area that really makes him stand out from his competition in this class. He easily has the best footwork of any quarterback in this draft class. This is a big reason as to why Goff is my top rated QB (Wentz 2, Lynch 3).
Progressions: Goff goes through his progressions nicely. He is relatively quick with them, and he doesn't consistently stare down his first read. Now, every QB is guilty of staring down their first read at least some percentage of the time, but Goff really does a solid job of working through his reads. This quality also makes him stand out against some of his other competition in this draft.
Hangs in pocket: This quality is pretty self-explanatory. When Goff has a wave of pressure moving in on him, he hangs in the pocket, delivers the throw, and takes the hit. That's something every QB must do from time to time, and it is encouraging to see him have this trait.
Other: I'll wrap this section up with a miscellaneous category. Goff has a fairly quick release, which is obviously a positive attribute. He also makes plenty of "wow" throws that really get you excited. He keeps two hands on the ball when he stands in the pocket, which unfortunately not all young quarterbacks do. These are all qualities that can get overlooked, but I think are worth mentioning.
So, there you have it. The makings of a franchise QB, right? Well, don't be so sure. I am obviously very high on Goff, but, his throws off of his back foot are very concerning. If NFL defenses move too fast for him, he will be a turnover machine, simply because he is an anticipation thrower. Every QB should throw with anticipation, but whenever the QB doesn't have a strong arm and throws off his back foot...it usually leads to disaster. Goff will absolutely have some serious growing pains, like most players transitioning to the NFL. My word of advice would be to be patient with him, because I do believe he could be a franchise QB one day. It may take a few years for him to reach that level, which is fine.
Goff is currently a top ten player in this draft to me, and that is because he has a very high ceiling. If your team needs a QB, and they land Goff, you should be excited. Much like Liam Neeson's daughter in Taken, you'll be in good hands.
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