Junior quarterback Jared Goff is drawing high praise from evaluators after his hot start to the season. He's led Cal to a 5-0 record, and a tough road test awaits him Saturday against fellow unbeaten Utah. Before he takes the national stage in a highly anticipated matchup, I asked five NFL personnel executives to give me the best player comparison for Goff. Here are their answers.
Executive 2:Matt Ryan
"He has a tall, skinny frame and plays with a gunslinger mentality. He's not as reckless as Jay Cutler, but I do see a lot of similarities to Matt Ryan at Boston College."
Executive 5:Matt Ryan
"This might seem like it's out of left field because they come from totally different offenses, but (Goff) reminds me of Matt Ryan. Ryan was coming out of pro system at Boston College and Goff is in a pure spread system. Because of that, the transition will be a little tougher for Goff. Talent-wise, they're very similar."
Verdict: It was unanimous! All five executives picked Matt Ryan. In fact, I heard from two more execs, and both picked Ryan.
Conclusion: It's hard to find five, let alone seven, personnel guys that agree on anything, so this is very rare. Goff has really good pocket feel and awareness. He throws a pretty ball. In terms of a comparison, I think he's better than Ryan Tannehill was coming out of Texas A&M, and I think he's better than Alex Smith was coming out of Utah. Goff is a mixture of Matt Ryan and Derek Carr. Goff and Carr are similar athletes when it comes to foot quickness and having a quick release. Goff's body is similar to Matt Ryan's.
Follow Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter at @MoveTheSticks.
