A gifted athlete who has excelled on the football field and the classroom, Goff had an opportunity to leave school early for the NFL last year, but decided to return to school. It turned out to be a great decision, as he elevated his draft stock into the early rounds with another stellar campaign in 2007, thanks largely to his dedication during the offseason in Vanderbilt's renowned training program.

Regarded as of the top track athletes in the nation during his high school days, Goff never played middle linebacker until arriving at Vanderbilt. One of the highest academic achievers in the state of Massachusetts, he was chosen to attend John Hopkins University's gifted and talented student program as a teenager. He was a member of the National Honor Society during his high school days and has garnered Academic All-Southeastern Conference honors.

On the field, the Vanderbilt staff regarded Goff as their "most complete" player. He became just the 10th player in school annals to lead the team in tackles in consecutive seasons, posting 93 hits in 2006 and 113 more in 2007. With their two-time team captain back playing for them in 2007, Vanderbilt improved from being ranked 74th in the nation in total offense in 2006 to 16th nationally in 2007, allowing just 325.25 yards per game.

"Jonathan gives us great effort and tries his very best every play to do what we coach him to do, and he does it full speed," Vanderbilt head coach Bobby Johnson said. "He's a very, very fine football player. You know when he goes out there he's going to play well. He does everything. He is good in his pass drops. He is good against the run. He's the kind of guy who just goes out and makes plays for you."

Goff's mother, Gwendolyn Tyre, who was the first African-American law clerk on the Georgia Supreme Court, forbade him from playing until he attended St. John's Prep. He went on to become a three-year starter and captain for the Boston area power. He started at safety and receiver as a sophomore, safety, receiver and quarterback as a junior, and tailback and outside linebacker as a senior.

Goff helped the team post undefeated regular season records in 2001 and 2002. He rushed for 920 yards for 104 attempts in 2002 and also passed for nine touchdowns and ran for 642 yards as junior quarterback. The two-time All-Conference selection added Prep Star All-East honors as a senior, he also started for the basketball and track-and-field squads and was one of the state's top track performers, bests of 11.0 (100 meters) and 151 feet (discus throw).

In 2003, Goff enrolled at Vanderbilt, but spent the year with the scout team. He started the final four games of the 2004 season at middle linebacker, recording 38 tackles (27 solos) while also causing one fumble. Firmly entrenched in the middle, he would go on to start 10 games at that spot in 2005, despite being limited in the preseason after he suffered a partial knee ligament tear in spring camp. He ranked third on the team with 63 tackles (47 solos), a sack and three stops for losses.

Over the next two seasons, Goff would earn All-Southeastern Conference second-team honors both years, serving as squad captain. He registered a team-high 93 tackles (67 solos), 2 ½ sacks and six stops for losses as a junior. He also caused two fumbles and picked off a pass.

The 2007 season saw Goff added All-American honorable mention to his resume. He paced the Commodores with 113 tackles (67 solos), the fourth-best total in the SEC, as he also added three sacks, 6 ½ stops for losses and six pressures. He picked off two passes and deflected five others.

In 46 games at Vanderbilt, Goff started 38 contests. He collected 307 tackles (202 solos) with 6 ½ sacks for minus-45 yards, 15 ½ stops for losses of 67 yards and 13 quarterback pressures. He caused three fumbles, deflected nine passes and gained 12 yards on three interception returns. He also blocked one kick.

Positives: Has good upper body thickness and muscle tone, but must improve his lower body thickness and strength … Has a wide chest, broad shoulders, flat back, tight abdomen, large hands and very good arm length … Physical player who might not explode behind his hits, but has the hand strength to drag the ballcarriers down … Better when playing in the box than in space, but shows good awareness and urgency closing on plays in front of him … Has a great work ethic, watching lots of film and even sitting in on coaches' meeting to help with game planning … Leader by example and highly intelligent sort who needs just minimal reps to retain … Plays with good effort and shows the high intensity to mix it up with bigger blockers in the trenches … Wants to make every play and is generally in position to do so, but only when playing in the box … Can read keys and locate the ball quickly, showing the instincts and vision to react to the run with good urgency (has good awareness in man coverage, but tight hips make him just adequate in mirroring the receiver) … Quick to fill the gaps with power and when he keeps his hands active, he can make tackles inside and hold ground at the point of attack (has no problem splitting double teams, but is susceptible to cut blocks) … Shows good power taking on bigger blockers and a good hand punch to jolt … When he keeps his hands active and inside his frame, he has no problems shedding and creating separation … Does a good job of stacking at the line of scrimmage and it is rare to see him swap out … When he avoids the cut block, he can control the tight end's movements … Even though he might get cut off at the feet, he does a good job of protecting his chest from blockers … Gives good effort chasing down outside running plays, but just lacks the loose hips to be consistent there (not good playing sideline to sideline) … Will use his hands more than his body to catch the ball, but has had just limited opportunities as an interceptor (plays more up near the line than back in the zone) … Has good timing, but just needs to show a more explosive burst on the blitz … Hits the gaps fast and hard and shows good desire closing on the quarterback from the inside (can't bend the edge as a pass rusher, though and is best when shooting the gaps instead) … Has good eyes for reading the pocket movement and is not the type who will bite on pump fakes or misdirection … Has the balance and low pad level to slip under most blocks playing near the X's.

Negatives: Has only adequate lower body muscle definition, especially in his thighs and calves (looks top heavy) … Struggles with his change of direction, looking very deliberate moving from sideline to sideline … Does not open his hips properly to get good pass depth, making him a liability covering receivers outside the short area … Has good weight room strength, but it does not always translate to the field, as he doesn't usually explode behind his tackles … Has adequate timed speed, but must showing a quicker burst closing on the ball … Bit clumsy with his footwork when playing over the tight end and needs to be more active using his hands in attempts to hold up or reroute the receiver in man coverage … Looks too stiff to get into the flow of the outside running plays and must square up better taking on blockers, as he tries to avoid or slip under them, leaving himself susceptible to cut blocks on the move … Too rigid in his movements when trying to mirror his man throughout the pass routes … Just adequate as a pass rusher, as he does not have the speed to impact the pocket when taking a wide loop to the ball and fails to bend off the edge and take good angles when asked to close on the quarterback … Must be more alert to low blocks when battling opponents in a phone booth … Best playing inside the box, as his timed speed is negated by his hip issues when having to give long chase.

Compares To: AKIN AYODELE-Dallas … Goff might be a better fit for a 3-4 alignment, as it will allow a team to cover his deficiencies in his pass drops and not expose his hip stiffness as much as it would if he had to cover the field from the classic middle linebacker spot. He has good straight-line speed and the upper body strength to clog the inside rush lanes, but is not that great of an edge rusher and must do a better job of protecting his feet from cut blocks. He is quick to read and react to the ball, but even though he put up good numbers in his agility tests at the Combine, he is just too deliberate in his change of direction to be a great playmaker at the next level. Still, he has enough qualities to see him get a good amount of playing time, at least vs. running plays.

2005: Suffered a partial medial collateral knee ligament tear in March camp, but was recovered by the start of the season.

Campus: 4.74 in the 40-yard dash … 425-pound bench press … Bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times … 565-pound squat … 350-pound hang clean … 36-inch vertical jump … 9'11.5" broad jump … 34 ¼-inch arm length … 10-inch hands … Right-handed … 29/36 Wonderlic score.

Combine: 28 reps on 225-pound bench press … 4.63 40-yard dash … 31 ½-inch vertical jump … 9'10" broad jump … 4.26 20-yard shuttle, 11.50 60-yard shuttle … 6.86 3-cone drill.

Attended St. John's (Danvers, Mass.) Prep, playing football for head coach Jim O'Leary …

Three-year starter and captain for the Boston area power … Started at safety and receiver as a sophomore, safety, receiver and quarterback as a junior, and tailback and outside linebacker as a senior … Helped the team post undefeated regular season records in 2001 and 2002 … Rushed for 920 yards for 104 attempts in 2002 and also passed for nine touchdowns and ran for 642 yards as junior quarterback … The two-time All-Conference selection added Prep Star All-East honors as a senior … Started for the basketball and track-and-field squads and was one of the state's top track performers with bests of 11.0 (100 meters) and 151 feet (discus throw) … Honor student and high academic achiever who participated in Johns Hopkins University Gifted and Talented Student Program and St. John's Prep Leadership Institute … Earned St. John's French Award in 2000.

Engineering major, enrolled in the School of Engineering … Campus ministry retreat leader … During the summer, he mentors youngsters near his hometown of Peabody … Son of Gwendolyn Tyre … Mother was the first African-American law clerk on the Georgia Supreme Court … Born Jonathan T. Goff on 12/12/85 in Atlanta, Georgia … Resides in Peabody, Massachusetts.