NFL Draft: 49ers, Raiders and Jared Goff

OAKLAND (KTVU) -- A local college football star was picked by the Los Angeles Rams in the first round of Thursday's NFL Draft while the Oakland Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers also named their choices to join their franchises.

Jared Goff, a former student at Marin Catholic High School before going to the California Golden Bears football team, was a first-round pick to the LA Rams. His former high school coach joined him in Chicago to watch his protégée go big time.

Meanwhile, the 49ers chose DeForest Buckner to join their roster and Karl Joseph, of West Virginia, was picked by the Raiders.

Jared Goff

All eyes were on Goff going into the NFL Draft and his high school coach, Mazi Moayed, traveled to Chicago to watch his former player hit the big time. Goff was expected to go to either to the LA Rams or the Philadelphia Eagles.

Goff's pickup by the Rams makes him the first Cal player taken first overall since Steve Bartkowski in 1975. Goff's old high school coach, is expected to join him at the Auditorium Theatre to watch the action live. 

He’ll join another Bay Area native, Foothill-Pleasanton graduate Sean Mannion, a third-round pick of the Rams last year and current second-string quarterback.

Moayed told the SF Chronicle that he saw greatness in Goff early and even reluctantly compared him to a young Joe Montana because both were able to remain calm despite the high-stakes tension on the field. 

It's also notable that Goff, the three-year starter who set just about every passing record at Cal, will finally be leaving the Bay Area to be the new face and franchise of the Rams. 

DeForest Buckner

Buckner comes from Oregon and has been described by ESPN as a "physical freak" because he stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 291 pounds. He is said to be on good terms with 49ers coach Chip Kelly because it was Kelly who recruited Buckner to Oregon and coached him during his freshman season. That gives the 49ers a pair of former Ducks at either end in their 3-4 defense, which gave up more than 2,020 rushing yards ago.

At a post-draft news conference, Coach Chip Kelly said, "I think it's unique that I have an opportunity to coach those guys again," referring to Buckner and Arik Armstead. 

Last year, Buckner was the PAC 12 defensive player of the year. Armstead was the Niners first rounder last year. 

Karl Joseph

Joseph was a first-round pick for the Oakland Raiders. Last season, he notched five interceptions for W. Virginia. He suffered a knee injury and played four games but sports watchers say at five-foot- eleven and at 197 pounds, he can plug a hole in the Raiders' secondary. 

He started all 13 games as a junior. His defensive coordinator at West Virginia gushed about Joseph, saying in his 21 years of coaching, he was the best leader and player he has ever coached.