Jared Goff Expected To Be No. 1 Overall Pick In 2016 NFL Draft

Jared Goff is widely considered to be the top quarterback available in the 2016 NFL Draft. There are other options for teams who don’t view Goff as the top quarterback, such as Carson Wentz, Paxton Lynch, and Connor Cook. While there may be a couple of teams that don’t think as highly of Goff as others, he is still viewed as the best quarterback in the class.

According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, a general manager is expecting someone to trade up with the Tennessee Titans to draft Jared Goff.

There are many teams in the draft this year that are in need of a new starting quarterback. Hue Jackson has made it clear that he wants the Cleveland Browns to bring in a new quarterback. A couple other potential suitors for Goff are the Denver Broncos and New York Jets.

Last season with the Golden Bears, Goff put together a huge season. He completed 64.5 percent of his pass attempts for 4,719 yards, 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Goff’s interception totals weren’t where he wanted them, but he did throw five of them in one game against the Utah Utes in the middle of the season.

Goff is one of the smartest quarterback prospects that has come through in a long time. He has drawn comparisons to Andrew Luck in that respect.

During the NFL Draft combine process, there were quite a few analysts critical of Goff for many different reasons. One of the main issues is that Goff has small hands. Some scouts and analysts believe that Goff’s small hands could come back to hurt him in the long run in cold games or when rain is a factor.

Even though there are some concerns about Goff, there is no reason to knock him down from being the top quarterback available because of possible problems. There is no guarantee that Goff will have any problems in any condition at the next level.

It isn’t too difficult to think back and find a quarterback that was marked down because of his size. Fellow California quarterback Aaron Rodgers slid in his draft due to being an undersized quarterback as well. Goff has drawn some comparisons to Rodgers over the past couple of seasons, but he has a lot of work to do if he wants to live up to those comparisons.

Looking around at the other quarterbacks available, there are many issues with them as well. Lynch was an absolute dud in the Memphis Tigers’ bowl game against Auburn. Neither Carson Wentz or Connor Cook were quite as dominant last season as Goff was against the type of competition that he faced.

That being said, it is fairly obvious who the best quarterback in the draft is when simply looking at the numbers. Jared Goff played a better season and he is an incredibly smart player.

All of these rumors are setting the stage for what could be a very busy 2016 NFL Draft when it comes to trade talks. Goff is obviously becoming a hot commodity and there are teams with the assets needed to move up for him. Cleveland would make perfect sense for Goff and it wouldn’t be shocking to see them attempt to move up a spot to make sure that no one jumps over them for him.

Franchise-changing quarterbacks don’t come around every single draft. Making the mistake of passing on one is a decision that will haunt a franchise of years. There is never a guarantee that a player will pan out, but Goff certainly looks like the real deal.

Do you think that Jared Goff will end up going with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft? Which teams do you think should consider trading up in order to get Goff?

Here is a short highlight video of Goff to see some of what he brings to the field.

[AP Photo/Rick Bowmer]