'He's outplayed some of his critics' NFL Execs see Lions' quarterback Jared Goff as a much bigger deal than your average NFL fan does

Detroit Lions' quarterback Jared Goff has been one of the best stories in the NFL in recent years . He went from a guy that was supposed to be a bridge quarterback to a player that's name is being chanted in stadiums and arenas around Michigan and one of the league's highest paid players . It's because he has been a very good quarterback.

Still, there's a lot of football fans out there that think Goff isn't a good quarterback and that he's only good because of Ben Johnson and his weapons. NFL executives to not see things the same way.

ESPN continued their positional rankings series where they poll NFL execs about players and on Monday they did quarterbacks. They had Goff as one of the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL. He came in ranked at number nine. Here's what they had to say:

"Goff's four-year, $212-million contract extension with the Lions on May 13 didn't buy him any extra votes here. Our voting on quarterbacks was largely complete by then.

In other words, Goff's status was cemented. No news cycle needed.

Goff's two-year run in Detroit is one of the league's best success stories in recent years. In 2021, he was discarded by the Rams for Matthew Stafford, then suffered career lows in passing for a three-win Lions team. Voters didn't see him as even a top-15 option at that point.

But since 2022, he ranks second in passing yards (9,013) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (3.1).

He also leads the NFL in fourth-quarter and overtime QBR during that span (72), and his 18 touchdowns to zero interceptions in the red zone last season was the league's best clip.

"He's the best in the NFL at throwing into zone coverage windows," an NFL coordinator said. "I've shown young quarterbacks tape of him and how he throws with anticipation."

Goff was always considered a talented thrower when he had time in the pocket. But he has improved his toughness from the pocket while in Detroit, accentuated by his elite footwork.

"He used to seem nervous in the pocket, but now he's cool in there," an NFC executive said. "I don't think he has that pressure on him like he did in L.A. Detroit has embraced him and he's responded."

Added an AFC scout: "He's outplayed some of his critics. Played well in big games."

This was easy to see coming. Over the weekend ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler teased the rankings a bit when he revealed how execs ranked quarterbacks in the NFC. They had Goff at number two behind Matthew Stafford.

2024 is going to be a big season for Goff and the Lions. There's a chance the team could be the number one seed in the NFC and that could put Goff in a position where he could be in line to win the league MVP. The quarterback of the number one seed in one of the conferences usually wins the award. Even bigger than that, The Lions could win it all. We'll see where Goff ranks next year.

Related: 53-man roster, depth chart and practice squad predictions for the Detroit Lions ahead of training camp