Being selected first overall in the NFL Draft comes with many perks, not the least of which are instant fame and a very hefty salary bonus.

However it also comes with an almost insurmountable level of expectation, and that’s just when a team comes into the draft already owning the number one pick.

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When the Rams made the controversial and expensive decision to trade up to take Jared Goff at number one, that level of expectation for Goff skyrocketed even higher.

That’s why Goff’s underwhelming performance in his first six starts has been criticized so harshly in spite of the fact that Goff wasn’t given the chance to start until Week 11 of the season.

So, is Goff’s underwhelming rookie performance emblematic of an existing issue with his talent and mechanics?

That all depends on whether or not you believe a number one pick should succeed despite having no running game to speak of, no coaching consistency and just a few games worth of NFL experience.

When looking for a reason to still hope that Goff is capable of being a successful franchise quarterback, we need look no further than Eli Manning. Manning was also a first-overall pick and started 7 games during his 2004 rookie season, just as Goff will have after this week.

Here’s a side-by-side comparison of their rookie seasons:

Att Comp Comp

% YPG TD INT Passer

Rating W-L Eli

Manning 197 95 48.2 115.9 6 9 55.4 0-6 Jared

Goff 185 99 53.5 138.4 5 7 61.7 1-6

If anything, Goff is actually a little bit better than Manning was.

Manning has had his ups and downs as the Giants quarterback over the years, but the two-time Super Bowl champion has also risen to the occasion time and time again.

He may not possess the precision and decision-making skills of Tom Brady or the pure athleticism of Aaron Rodgers, but Eli Manning has just enough of everything to be a very good franchise quarterback.

Related Jared Goff promises everything in heart and soul to get the Rams fixed

And don’t forget that it was just three seasons after his pathetic rookie season that Manning and the Giants beat the 18-0 New England Patriots in one of the greatest Super Bowl upsets of all time.

None of this means that Goff is going to win two rings over the next seven seasons. It just means that it’s definitely far too soon to rule it out.