Just over a year ago, the Los Angeles Rams’ Jared Goff was close to being labeled a bust. But after a breakout 2017, Goff may wind up being a top quarterback this season.
There’s always a tremendous amount of pressure associated with being the No. 1 overall pick from an NFL Draft.
Especially when you’re quarterback Jared Goff, and the Los Angeles Rams gave up a great deal of draft capital to move up to the top spot in the 2016 draft.
Following a rough rookie season, one in which Goff saw just seven games played and posted a mediocre 63.6 passer rating, many were ready to write Goff off as a bust. It was a terrible season, for sure. But then the Rams brought in rookie head coach Sean McVay to change all that in 2017.
Bringing change is exactly what McVay did.
| Year | Age | Tm | No. | G | GS | QBrec | Cmp | Att | Cmp% | Yds | TD | Int | Y/A | Y/C | Y/G | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 22 | LAR | 16 | 7 | 7 | 0-7-0 | 112 | 205 | 54.6 | 1089 | 5 | 7 | 5.3 | 9.7 | 155.6 | 63.6 |
| 2017* | 23 | LAR | 16 | 15 | 15 | 11-4-0 | 296 | 477 | 62.1 | 3804 | 28 | 7 | 8.0 | 12.9 | 253.6 | 100.5 |
| Care | Care | 22 | 22 | 11-11-0 | 408 | 682 | 59.8 | 4893 | 33 | 14 | 7.2 | 12.0 | 222.4 | 89.4 |
McVay’s offensive brilliance helped get Goff’s budding career back on track, which resulted in the Cal product finishing last season with a 100.5 passer rating, which ranked fifth best among NFL qualifiers, and an impressive 28-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio at the helm of the league’s top scoring offense.
Goff’s rookie season can all but be written off now. It’s forgotten. And with the quarterback still on his rookie contract, Los Angeles is in all-out win-now mode for 2018. It’s one of the reasons L.A. was so aggressive in adding player talent this offseason.
That talent, McVay’s system, Goff’s skill set and his supporting cast are enough to suggest the quarterback is primed for an even more impressive campaign this season. While there are concerns with his abilities, Goff has more than enough evidence around him to suggest he’ll emerge as one of the next up-and-coming elite quarterbacks.
Here are five reasons why.
Next Page: No. 5
