Jared Goff Is Underrated

Jared Goff is not the 26th-best quarterback in the National Football League.

Despite his struggles in 2020, he should not be considered among the worst signal-callers playing professional football.

The majority of the offseason quarterback rankings have seen Goff ranked anywhere from No. 20-No. 30.

Pro Football Focus' latest rankings placed Goff at No. 26, according to Bruce Gradkowski.

"A fresh start does players wonders, especially at the quarterback position. It also doesn’t hurt when you get a vote of confidence and your team takes Penei Sewell to protect you over some highly sought-after first-round quarterbacks," Gradkowski explained.

He added, "The Rams were third in the league in play-action pass attempts and tied for fifth in screen pass attempts. It will be imperative that the Lions help their QB and design an offense around what he’s comfortable with. Goff has a top-five passing grade when he has a clean pocket, is in rhythm and targets intermediate throws 10-19 yards downfield. He struggled when targeting 20-plus yard throws in the same scenario, earning the 29th-ranked passing grade out of 36 qualifying quarterbacks."

New Lions offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn's job will be to highlight Goff's strengths and limit his weaknesses.

Detroit general manager Brad Holmes has already upgraded the offensive line, with the addition of Sewell. The pocket should indeed be clean when Goff is dropping back to pass.

Realistically, Goff should be ranked as the No. 12 quarterback in the league.

"Getting the ball downfield in 2020 was a struggle, whether it was missed throws or negatively graded throws. This is probably why Goff led the league in passing yards on completions of 5 yards or less a season ago," Gradkowski said. "The Lions seem to be building around Goff, and this is exactly what he needs to get his confidence back up so he can play at a high level again."

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