Leading up to this year's NFL Draft, scheduled to take place April 23-25, theRams.com will revisit notable draft moments in team history. In the first installment of the four-part series, we take a look at Los Angeles trading up in 2016 to get their franchise quarterback.
Background
Since 2010, the Rams had started seven different quarterbacks: Sam Bradford, Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Austin Davis, Shaun Hill, Kellen Clemens and A.J. Feeley. Following the conclusion of the 2015 season, many experts consequently indicated they would be in the market for a new one entering their first year in Los Angeles.
There was just one small problem: They were slated to pick No. 15 overall, and they weren't the only club seeking a franchise quarterback.
Even with what was regarded as a deep quarterback class, the pair of highest-ranked players at that position projected to make an immediate impact – Carson Wentz and Jared Goff – were widely expected to come off the board well before the Rams would be on the clock. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles had already traded into the Top 10, swapping the 13th overall pick, cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso with the Miami Dolphins for the eighth overall pick.
The only way for Los Angeles to guarantee they could get their guy would be to secure pole position in the draft – acquire the No. 1 overall pick, owned by the Tennessee Titans.
Fortunately for L.A., Tennessee was in position to make a deal, having already drafted their franchise quarterback, Marcus Mariota, with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Plus, Snead would later tell reporters the two teams had neighboring suites in Lucas Oil Stadium at the NFL Scouting Combine that year, according to a December 2017 story published by ESPN NFL Nation reporters Alden Gonzalez and Tim McManus, making discussions about the pick easy to facilitate.
On April 14, 2016, the Rams sent their first-round pick, two second-round picks, a third-round pick, a 2017 first-round pick and a 2017 third-round pick to the Titans in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick, a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick. Six days later, the Eagles traded up to acquire the No. 2 overall pick from the Browns.
Two weeks later, Los Angeles selected Jared Goff.
"We've talked about ad-nauseum," Mayock said on NFL Network's draft broadcast. "He fits what they do, they believe in him because he can play Day 1."
Since then...
Goff did not start until Week 11 of his rookie season, then got the role full-time in head coach Sean McVay's first season with the team in 2017. That year, he completed 62.1 percent of his passes for 3,804 yards with 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
In 2018, he completed 64.9 percent of his passes for 4,688 yards (fourth in the NFL) with 32 touchdowns (tied for sixth) and 12 interceptions, helping direct the No. 2 total and scoring offense in the league en route to a Super Bowl appearance.
In 2019, his 394 completions set a new franchise single-season record. His passing yardage total in 2018 and 2019 (4,638) rank second and third-most in a single season in franchise history. Meanwhile, his career passer rating of 91.9 is second in club history behind Kurt Warner's 97.2.
A 3-time NFC Player of the Week, Goff has also earned Pro Bowl honors twice and was voted by his peers as one the NFL's Top 100 players in 2019 and 2018.
Last September, the Rams signed Goff to a four-year extension which will keep him under contract through the 2024 season.
