When the Rams traded up from No. 15 to the first overall pick in 2016, they had their eyes set on a quarterback who could change the course of a franchise that was entering a new era in Los Angeles. He was a California kid with great character and leadership qualities, and an NFL-caliber skill set.

Fast-forward to this offseason and it looked like a disastrous move for the Rams, surrendering two first-, second- and third-round picks to land a quarterback who threw five touchdown passes and seven interceptions as a rookie. It was as bad a start as anyone could have expected, bringing into question the team’s decision to give up so much capital for a seemingly mediocre quarterback.

Those doubts have been silenced thanks to Goff’s red-hot start to the 2017 season. He already has as many touchdown passes as he had all of last year, while also throwing six fewer interceptions. He leads the NFL (for now) with 817 passing yards and is fourth in passer rating (118.2). In the red zone, he’s a perfect 11-for-11 with five touchdown passes.

The list of impressive stats goes on, but his play goes beyond the box score. Goff is finally proving why the Rams were wise to jump 14 spots to land him first overall last year, bringing stability to the most important position in sports.

If you watch him play, you’ll see just how much he’s improved since last year. There were several examples of that on Thursday night alone, particularly on this play in the first quarter with the game tied at seven.

Goff faces pressure up the middle on a nice stunt by the 49ers, but he doesn’t panic and drop his eye level. He keeps them up as he rolls out of the pocket and drops a dime to Robert Woods 35 yards down the field. Perfect.

Another example came in the third quarter when he and Sammy Watkins finally connected on a deep pass for the first time all season. Goff had a clean pocket this time, which allowed him to step up and throw a flawless rainbow pass to Watkins, dropping it in the bucket 47 yards downfield.

Those are two plays Goff struggled to make last season. He wasn’t good outside the pocket, his deep balls were inaccurate and he panicked when facing pressure. Granted, he was under duress far more often in 2016 than he has been this season, but Goff is far better with bodies around him than he was last season.

If he continues to put up big numbers and show glaringly obvious signs of development like this, it won’t matter how much the Rams gave up to get him last year. They could have given up four first-round picks and it wouldn’t matter if he keeps protecting the football, making smart decisions and completing deep passes down the field.

Just look at his throw chart from Thursday night. On passes more than 10 yards downfield, Goff was 5-for-7. On throws of 15-plus yards, he was 3-for-4. Those are outstanding numbers for a guy who couldn’t throw deep to save his life last season.

If the Rams are going to make a legitimate run at the playoffs, Goff is going to be a huge part of that. Quarterback play often determines a team’s success, and so far, the Rams have had one of the best signal callers in the NFL slinging it around the field.