Quarterback Jared Goff didn't make it easy on himself on Friday at California's pro day, which took place in front of representatives from all 32 NFL clubs.
But for the most part, he made it look easy.
Arguably the top quarterback prospect in the draft, Goff threw 69 passes in his throwing session, reportedly completing 61 of them with two drops. NFL Media analyst Bucky Brooks gave Goff a B-plus grade for the workout, while analyst Daniel Jeremiah gave him a B grade.
"He stepped up and put on a show. I like the script they went through," NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock said. "They weren't afraid to let this kid show off his timing, touch and accuracy."
Jeremiah noted Goff kept a brisk pace, and also had an appreciation for the difficulty of Goff's script, which included plenty of deeper throws off of seven-step drops.
"This was not a scripted winner. There weren't just a bunch of lay-ups out there," Jeremiah said. "... I would probably give him a B overall. On the deep ball, you saw some nice touch on a couple of them. He overthrew two, and one underthrow. So I thought it was a little bit mixed on the deep ball. But I like the fact that they were taking shots in this workout. If you wanted to see a couple pinpoint throws, he gave you that. It just wasn't a flawless pro day. It was solid."
"I think it's commendable that he showed (tougher throws)," Brooks added. "He could've basically mailed it in, do an easy workout today, but he's actually giving scouts everything that they want to see in terms of using the entire field."
Goff's pro day began on a positive note when his hand size, a topic at the NFL Scouting Combine last month, measured slightly larger at Cal's pro day than it did less than a month ago in Indianapolis. Jackson noted the importance of hand size at the combine, so it was noteworthy that Browns assistant coach Pep Hamilton, after the scripted workout, squirted water on the ball and had Goff make some throws with the wet ball.
In an effort to become the first quarterback picked, and sign the more lucrative contract that goes with it, Goff had an important audience Friday in Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson. The Browns hold the No. 2 overall pick of the draft and have a glaring need at the position. Among other clubs picking in the top five, the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars are already invested in young quarterbacks who were top-five picks, while the Dallas Cowboys and San Diego Chargers are in more of a need for an apprentice at quarterback than a new starter.
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