Cal coach heaps praise on Rams' Goff

If there are any Los Angeles Rams fans not yet excited about the addition of Jared Goff, perhaps Sonny Dykes can be of some assistance.

The Cal head coach, who led the program for each of Goff's three years as a starter, spoke glowingly of this year's No. 1 overall pick in a recent interview with Aaron Torres of FOX Sports.

"He's a consummate professional," Dykes said. "He's 21 years old, but he was a professional for us at 18. What I mean by that is his approach, just his maturity and his approach. And you know, he's going to give it everything he has every day."

Goff was considered by many to be the more pro-ready prospect in this year's draft. Arm talent and pocket presence were two of his most impressive qualities to that end, and Dykes believes the later of which is already as good as it gets.

"He can make the throws," Dykes added. "He's got a very unique skill set. He maneuvers in the pocket and creates throwing lanes better than any quarterback I've ever seen, really at any level. He's very unique in that regard. I think that's why he was the first pick in the draft is because of that skill set."

Los Angeles is taking a significant gamble on Goff being its long-awaited answer at the most important position on the field, as the slew of picks dealt to Tennessee in acquiring the top selection will make it more difficult to bolster the roster in years ahead.

While it's certainly no guarantee that he'll instantly guide a turnaround, Dykes is confident Goff will prove to be a franchise-caliber player over the long haul.

"His ceiling is very, very high," Dykes said. "And the fact that he's 21 years old, he hasn't gotten close to reaching his ceiling yet. I think the Rams got them a special player and somebody they can build around for many years to come."

Spring reports indicated that Goff will enter training camp as the No. 2 quarterback on the Rams' depth chart. Los Angeles will do everything possible to avoid rushing him onto the field, but he'll undoubtedly have the opportunity to earn the starting job heading into Week 1.