Jared Goff Makes The Los Angeles Rams A Serious Playoff Contender
Jared Goff was selected by the Los Angeles Rams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. It was a move that has been expected for quite some time now, but making it official should have the Rams’ fan base excited.
After a rough few seasons without a true franchise caliber quarterback, the Rams now have their guy. Goff is being brought in to be the long-term starter in Los Angeles and will be asked to shoulder a big load for the offense. Los Angeles is also hoping that Goff can lead them to the postseason and they are now a serious playoff contender with their rookie quarterback.
Last season, with the California Golden Bears, Goff ended up completing 64.5 percent of his pass attempts for 4,719 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. Those numbers show why the Rams were so interested in Goff and why he received so much hype over the last couple of weeks.
Drafting Goff will give the Rams a completely new look offense that Jeff Fisher has to be excited about working with.
It's official.
Jared Goff will be the face of Los Angeles.#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/xP3Q6GNjtM
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 29, 2016
Todd Gurley was the Rams’ first round pick last season and proved to be a workhorse-caliber running back. The only thing that was missing was a passing game. Los Angeles needed to find a way to balance their offense and Goff’s arm is going to be able to do that for them.
Having a running back like Gurley behind the rookie quarterback will take a lot of pressure off of him. He will be asked to handle a large load offensively, but Gurley is capable of carrying the football 25 to 30 times per game as well.
One major need that the Rams have to address now that they have their quarterback is at wide receiver. They had the lowest receiving yards by a wide receiver in the entire NFL last season. That can’t be the case again in 2016 if Goff is going to get off to a hot start in his rookie season.
Looking at the NFC West division, the Rams are going to have a tough schedule. Arizona is going to be a very tough team once again this coming season, while the Seattle Seahawks are going to remain a threat as well. San Francisco is a bit of a question mark, but the Rams aren’t scared of anyone.
All of that being said, it will be very intriguing to see how Goff fares in Los Angeles. He will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders, but the Rams would not have drafted him if they didn’t believe he could handle the pressure.
It has been quite some time since the Rams have been viewed as serious contenders, but times are changing. They may not be a Super Bowl contender in the next couple of seasons, but they are definitely a playoff contender.
Expect to see Goff come out firing in his rookie season and to live up to the hype that he has as the Rams’ franchise quarterback. There are obviously some concerns about his hand size and record as the Golden Bears’ starting quarterback, but Goff won’t allow that to bother him.
What do you think of the Los Angeles Rams selecting quarterback Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft? Do you think he will live up to the hype, or will he end up being viewed as a bust?
[AP Photo/Ron Jenkins]
