25 most sought after NFL quarterback draft prospects of all time

Sometimes a team is so desperate to land a franchise quarterback in the NFL Draft that they will trade away the opportunity to fortify other positions. That is precisely what the Los Angeles Rams did in 2016, as they traded up 14 spots to ensure the opportunity to draft Cal standout Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick.

To make sure that they would not miss out on Goff, the Rams handed over the No. 15 overall pick to the Tennessee Titans, along with two second-round selections and a third-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. They also coughed up their first and third-round picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. In return, Los Angeles received Goff along with fourth and sixth-round draft picks from the Titans.

Originally projected as a mid-first round pick, Goff boosted his draft stock with strong interviews and a reported Wonderlic score of 36. In 37 games at Berkeley, Goff threw for more than 12,000 yards and tossed 96 touchdowns against only 30 interceptions. In his final season as a Golden Bear, Goff helped lead Cal to their first and only bowl appearance under head coach Sonny Dykes.

Goff went on to lose every one of his seven starts during his rookie campaign in 2016. A year later, he was the full-time starter in Los Angeles under new head coach Sean McVay and a switch flipped. Goff led the Rams to the NFC West crown, though they fell in the NFC Wild Card game against Atlanta.

In season three, Goff once again improved to the point where the Rams were the top seed in the NFC. Getting through the NFC playoffs, Goff and the Rams reached Super Bowl LIII, but fell to the New England Patriots.

Nevertheless, Goff has shown steady growth as an NFL starter and looks to have paid dividends on the promise that made him such a highly sought quarterback in the 2016 NFL Draft.