NFL Draft 2016: Jared Goff Scouting Report

April 13, 2016

By Joey Alibro

Twitter: @joeyalibro

Measurables

College: University of California Number: 16 Position: QB

Height: 6’4” Weight: 205 Year: Junior

40 Low: 4.72 40 Time: 4.82 40 High: 4.92

Background

Jared Thomas Goff, born October 14, 1994, was raised in Novato, California, a city outside of San Francisco. His father, Jerry, also attended Cal and was a catcher in the MLB from 1990-1996. Goff attended Marin Catholic High School where he was recruited by Boise St, Fresno St, and Stanford as a four star recruit and as high as number eight nationally as a pro style quarterback. He took over as the starter at Cal in 2013 as a true freshman and has broken several school records including completions, passing yards, and passing touchdowns.

Game-by-Game Summaries

Note: I only watched film from 2014 to the present.

Northwestern (2014) – 21/34 281 yds. 3 TD 1 INT

Game Summary: In his 2014 season opener, Goff was just impressive enough to pull out the W for the Golden Bears. Although he was off target on a couple throws, Goff showed off his accuracy including a nice long ball for a touchdown after his pump fake to a receiver on a screen route. His well timed pump fake caused the corner to bite, leaving a lone safety to try to cover the speedy receiver. Later in the game, Goff used his elusiveness to keep the play alive after the pocket collapsed. He scrambled back, rolled to his right, evaded a defender, and hit his receiver for a 40 yard strike.

Washington St. (2015) – 33/45 390 yds. 4 TD 1 INT

Game Summary: Goff started his day off with a nice strike across the middle, but then followed it up with an ugly pick after he tried forcing a ball to the sideline that was grossly underthrown.

He was off his game for a good portion of the first quarter forcing passes left and right. Goff finally got back into a rhythm and even threw a nice touchdown after spotting his man downfield and waited until he was going to break free of coverage to hit him in stride in the end zone, even if it meant taking a bit of a beating at the hands of the pursuing D-lineman.

Goff, working exclusively in shotgun in the Cal offense, showcased his play action capability from that formation, but I’m curious to see how he works under center. He threw for another score after putting a nice touch on the ball, which is one of his strong points. He finished with two more touchdowns en route to victory for the Golden Bears.

Stanford (2015) – 37/54 386 yds. 2 TD 0 INT

Game Summary: Going against the 11th ranked Stanford Cardinals, Goff led a solid drive ending in a field goal after some nice throws on a few slant and swing routes. His accuracy was readily apparent as he moved Cal downfield to set up the field goal. The level of talent around Goff, most notably the offensive line, is laughable as it seems like he’s been constantly under pressure for all three seasons at Cal. I definitely give him credit for the mental fortitude he’s shown after the beatings he’s taken throughout his collegiate career. Down 21-9 late in the third quarter, Goff orchestrated another nice drive that ended in a touchdown after he put good touch on the ball to hit his receiver in the corner of the end zone. Ultimately, Goff came up short in the comeback attempt, but he did everything he could to keep his team in it. His die hard attitude is something you can’t teach and is reflected on the stat line where he dominated on third down.

Strengths

above average accuracy
able to move and evade pass rushers to continue play or leave pocket
great touch passer
mentally tough
willing to take hits

Weaknesses

could stand to add to his frame
below average hand size
didn’t play in pro-style offense
needs work on deep ball accuracy
decent, but not great arm

Summary

Goff is viewed as one of the top quarterback prospects by many, and rightfully so. At Cal, he broke 26 school records in his three seasons. With limited talent around him, Goff was able to produce at a high level albeit in an offense that was tailored made for him. Because the offense he ran as a Golden Bear won’t transition very well to the NFL, I’m concerned with the learning curve that will come with Goff. This is comparable to Marcus Mariota who ran a similar offense during his time at Oregon. If you recall, this time last year I was down on Mariota for that and heavily favored Jameis Winston, a more pro-style quarterback. I’m sticking with that theme this year as I think Connor Cook will have the best rookie year based on his NFL-readiness. That’s not to say I don’t think Goff can’t develop into a good quarterback. He has all the tools, but it may take a little more time just as it will with Mariota who experienced some growing pains in Tennessee.