Jared Goff said the confidence the Detroit Lions showed in him last weekend when they opted not to draft a quarterback wasn't lost on him.
"It's a nice vote of confidence obviously for me," Goff said Thursday. "I think what's not lost on me is that their first move as a staff with Brad (Holmes) and Dan (Campbell) involved me, so it's exciting and it makes you feel good."
Goff, 26, heads into the 2021 season as the Lions' starter under center. He's pretty excited about the players the Lions did add to the team via last weekend's NFL Draft, starting with No. 7 overall pick Penei Sewell.
"Fired up. Fired up," Goff said. "When I saw we took Penei, I know the staff was fired up and so was I. Obviously, as a quarterback, anytime you get help upfront that's always good."
Sewell (20 years old), left tackle Taylor Decker (27) and center Frank Ragnow (24) are foundational pieces upfront. Decker signed an extension last offseason, and Ragnow has reportedly agreed to a four-year extension, though that deal has yet to be confirmed by the team. Guard Jonah Jackson, 24, is entering Year 2 after a solid rookie season that saw him start 16 games.
"We have a lot of solid guys up there right now," Goff said of Detroit's offensive front. "I think it's shaping up to hopefully be one of the top groups in the league. There's obviously a lot of work to do, I know they know that, but there's a lot of good players up there right now and as a quarterback that's your best friend. So, I'm excited for it."
Goff was also a fan of the team selecting former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown in the fourth round. St. Brown is a strong, physical receiver with a reputation as a terrific route runner who can make tough catches. He caught 178 passes with 16 touchdowns in 30 games at USC.
"Yeah, I'm really excited for Amon-Ra," Goff said. "I was excited when I saw his name come off the board for us. I've seen him just being a fan of the PAC-12 and seeing him over the years ... I've been a fan of his and hopefully we can get some work (in) soon and really see him in person."
The Lions are still in the virtual part of their offseason, with the OTA portion of the offseason training program set to begin later this month. Still in the install phase of the offense, Goff said he's really liking how the scheme is starting to shape up under new offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn.
"It's coming together," he said. "I think the way he described it to us is multiple with spread principles. I think it's going to have a little bit of what they did with (Justin) Herbert and the Chargers and a little bit of what (Lynn) did in Buffalo. It's a nice little mixture of it so far and it's been good. We've been working through the installs and having some good Zoom meetings.
"It's been fun. I think once we get on the field and are really able to see everything live, we'll be able to get a really good grasp of it."
Goff has worked out with his new pass catchers away from Allen Park this offseason and is excited for the team to get together in person on the field at some point.
"We've had different conversations on concepts and philosophies, but for the most part right now it's a lot of dialogue," Goff said of working with Lynn to shape the Lions' offense moving forward.
"I think once we get on the field and are able to work on some things we can really dial in with what we both like and ultimately he's calling the plays."
