Photography by Los Angeles, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
This season, the Rams and No. 1 pick Jared Goff will play at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home of the University of Southern California Trojans.
When the L.A. Rams selected former California quarterback Jared Goff first overall last Thursday, he became the team's first NFL rookie to not be St. Louis-bound since 1995.
The Rams surrendered a number of draft picks to the Tennessee Titans—including next year’s first-round selection—to move up to No. 1 and nab Goff. Armed with a $28 million contract and the “face of the franchise” tag, he's now center stage.
“All that stuff is great...for attendance and hype,” he said during his introductory press conference. “At the same time, I’m going to be really focused on being the best player I can be, the best teammate I can be, the best leader I can be, and let all that stuff take care of itself.”
Owner Stan Kroenke said the decision to move up in the draft was not for the attention. “The first question, the first thing we talked about: Is it about football?” Kroenke said on the NFL Network, minutes after the pick was announced. “It’s not about headlines. It’s going to make headlines. This is a place—with the move and all of that happening at once—it’s going to make a lot of headlines. But that’s not what this is about. It’s about football.”
Kroenke said Goff “has a quiet confidence” that will serve him well in his new role and city. “You see that in guys...that can handle the action. L.A., it’s a different place out here. We’re the Los Angeles Rams now, so it’s a big opportunity, and I think Jared can handle it,” said Kroenke, who is nominated for the Sports Business Journal’s Executive of the Year Award.
The Rams' remaining picks, after the Goff trade and a mid-draft deal with the Chicago Bears, included tight end Tyler Higbee from Western Kentucky, wide receiver Pharoh Cooper from South Carolina, tight end Temarrick Hemingway from South Carolina State, linebacker Josh Forrest from Kentucky, and wide receiver Michael Thomas from Southern Miss.
The Rams will open the season against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football on September 12. The team’s home opener at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum is the following week against the Seattle Seahawks.
