Meet Jared Goff, The Man The Rams Traded A Small Village For
David Rosenthal, CBS Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — The Los Angeles Rams gave up a small village of draft picks to move up to the number one overall slot in order to take former Cal quarterback Jared Goff.
One of the only red flags surrounding Goff entering the NFL Draft was his hand size.
Let's look at Goff's measurables from the NFL combine.
Goff put together a rather impressive combine, with one exception: hand size.
Goff's hands measured at exactly 9 inches, which is rather small compared to the average hand size of starting NFL quarterback's (9.5 inches).
"Small hands" are categorized as anything under 9.25 inches, "Average hands" are classified between 9.251 and 9.749), and "Big Hands" are classified as anything over 9.75 inches.
Let's look at current NFL quartback's hand size:
Russell Wilson (SEA) : 10.25 inches
Cam Newton (CAR): 9 7/8 inches
Derek Carr (OAK) : 9 1/8 inches
Drew Brees (NO) : 10.25 inches
Aaron Rodgers (GB) : 9.38 inches
Ryan Tannehill (MIA) : 9 inches
Tom Brady (NE) : 10.25 inches
Michael Vick (FA): 8.5 inches*
It is important to note that out of all the 21 quarterbacks taken in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2008, only Ryan Tannehill had hands as small as Goff.
Is hand size the be all end of all for quartback success? Of course not.
However, it is alarming to some scouts and executives, but certainly not the deciding factor.
"Hand size is important," Broncos President John Elway said.
While 49ers head coach Chip Kelly said, "They're measurables. They're guidelines. They're not like he has 9-inch hands, he's out."
Goff broke Marcus Mariota's Pac-12 single-season record for touchdown passes by throwing his 43rd in the Armed Forces Bowl this season
He also holds school career records for yards passing (12,200), completions (977) and touchdown passes (96).
If Goff's hand size is the biggest knock on his talent, then that is phenomenal news for Rams fans.
While obviously it makes sense that having bigger hands will help you be a better quartback, it is certainly not required.
Only time will tell if the trade works out, but for Rams fans who do not know much about the former University of California quarterback, here is a brief primer.
Goff's best year came last season, where he threw for over 4000 yards and 40 touchdowns.
While he has excellent footwork inside the pocket and a tremendous ability to move the pocket, he rushed for negative yardage in each of his three seasons at Cal. (Important to note NCAAcounts sack yardage as negative rushing yards for the QB, whereas the NFL does not).
While Goff is not immobile, he is by no means Michael Vick (which also has it's benefits).
According to CBS Sports' Dane Brugler and Rob Rang, Goff, "can be downright surgical in his ability to pick apart defenses, showing deft touch on deep balls down the sideline and up the middle."
"His fantastic footwork and lower body mechanics allow him to always be in the "ready" position to easily come to balance and deliver, which isn't a common trait for most college passers," Brugler and Rang added.
