By Jeff Risdon 1. Matt Ryan, Boston College--good size with useful athleticism; very intelligent decision maker with tremendous leadership and intangibles; very good accuracy and zip on short and intermediate throws; steps into his throws nicely and moves around the pocket with a confident fluidity; quick release once he makes up his mind, and he can use different arm angles if dictated by pressure, a la Bernie Kosar; has decent mobility but not a runner although he throws well on the run and shows strong improv skills; excels at extending plays and making something out of nothing, often dramatically; lacks the cannon arm and will airmail some deeper throws; has had some streakiness with his accuracy; can lock onto his receivers at times. Has a chance to be special and proved this by nearly leading a pretty ordinary collection of talent to a BCS bowl. NFL comparison: young Trent Green, Tom Brady. Almost certainly a Top 5 pick, could go #1 overall. 2. Brian Brohm, Louisville--ideal size and pedigree, comes from a family of QB's and appears to have learned well from them; has the requisite arm strength and pocket awareness needed; throws a tight, accurate, catchable ball at all distances; excellent touch on outside throws, makes his receivers? jobs much easier; has played under several different coordinators and coaches and has still shown yearly progress; makes quick progression reads but has a tendency to give up and check down too quickly; will force balls to avoid sacks. Not very mobile and has a lengthy injury history which many will hold against him. Has a rep for not being really tough and not commanding the troops adeptly; whether those criticisms are valid is the subject of great debate in the scouting community. NFL comparison: Derek Anderson, a young Kerry Collins. Top 5 overall potential, but injuries and coming from a non pro-style offense could drop him further than Brady Quinn?s worst nightmare. 3. Chad Henne, Michigan--great size and physical presence, looks the part; seasoned leader of a top program who has played well with, and against, NFL talent; has a rifle arm with an almost effortless release; stands tall, sees the field well and has a high release point; throws an outstanding deep ball; often looks flawless when given a solid pocket and time to get comfortable; good leader who understands that not all guys respond to the same tactics; has the confidence and intangibles everyone wants in a QB; tends to throw the ball too hard on checkdowns; to say he lacks mobility is akin to saying Bobby Knight has a temper, almost a complete statue; has a long wind-up and needs space to step into his throws or else his accuracy plummets; doesn?t always feel the rush even when it?s up the gut; will force balls and give up the ball too frequently. Has dealt with shoulder and knee issues but looked very healthy in Mobile. As one director of scouting told me, ?Henne is the best QB in this draft if you put him behind a good O-line and get him a real deep threat, but if the line is shaky he?s no better than a bigger, slower Rex Grossman?. NFL Comparison: Drew Bledsoe and, well, Rex Grossman even though they are physically polar opposites. Could fit into the late 1st round but more likely in the 40-60 range. 4. Erik Ainge, Tennessee--very accurate 4-year starter in the grueling SEC although major injuries limited his time; has prototypical size and fits well as a drop-back pocket passer; better arm than he lets on and can fire it with zip when called for; intelligent with the ball, reads defenses well, a good game manager; good play action faker and passer; good leader with a calming confidence; excels at throwing intermediate routes and putting the ball where only his receiver can make a play; has had serious knee and finger injuries, and his athleticism is impacted by the knee; doesn?t move extremely well or look comfortable moving, loses lots of zip when throwing on the move and outside the pocket; needs to improve velocity on shorter routes, tends to baby the ball. NFL Comparison: Jake Delhomme, Philip Rivers. Draft range is variable anywhere between middle of the 2nd round and end of the 4th, depending on how he checks out physically and his performance in agility and strength drills. 5. Joe Flacco, Delaware--big, tall (6?6?+) transfer from Pittsburgh; stands tall and surveys the field well; excels in throwing out of 5 and 7 step drops; has nice touch and can heave the cheese when called for; steps into his throws, solid footwork and follow through; very strong leader who can rally the troops; likes to attack downfield and throws a catchable medium and deep ball, always looking downfield; excellent at play action fakes; feels the rush and can slide around to buy time; not a runner, but he?s not as lumbering as he looks; throws with an awkward release, almost goes sidearm on short throws; will baby the ball on checkdowns; doesn?t fight the rush, often too quick to take the sack; hasn?t played with the big boys although he did thrive in a very competitive, defense-oriented FCS conference and impressed in Mobile. NFL Comparison: Marc Bulger, poor man?s Carson Palmer. 2nd-3rd round and gaining momentum although it?s hard to ignore he left Pittsburgh because he got thoroughly outplayed by Tyler Palko, a 6th rounder last draft. Probably the most boom/bust of any QB in this draft. 6. John David Booty, USC--not really big but stands tall in the pocket and delivers a very catchable ball; great leader who commands the huddle and has experience playing with great talent and high expectations around him; his brother Jeff played in the NFL, and J.D. appears to have learned from his experience; has shortened his stride and sped up his release without hurting his accuracy; when his confidence is flowing he can be exceptional, with increased velocity and more snap on his release; does not throw an accurate deep ball and could use more zip on shorter throws; lacks mobility and doesn?t handle DL pressure well; will miss some wide open receivers, doesn?t always see the field well; not as great as he thinks he is--he will need to polish his fundamentals at things like looking off safeties and making quicker pre-snap reads. NFL Comparison: Brian Griese, Jon Kitna. 2nd-3rd round, definitely 2nd round if he interviews well. Has the trappings of a long-term career backup who can come in and provide a real boost for a few games but not a definite #1 QB on a playoff team. 7. Andre Woodson, Kentucky--athletic with good size and balance; has a plus arm with good accuracy, particularly at hitting receivers in stride; throws a catchable ball; very good escapability from the rush, moves well with an economy of motion; a decent running threat although he?s not really fast and doesn?t accelerate quickly; leadership and maturity have steadily changed from a negative to a definite positive; sees the field well, rarely throws into traffic or lays his receivers out to dry; has an exaggerated wind up and almost painfully slow release which has not improved much despite years of work at refining; holds the ball too long as if he doesn?t trust either 1. his arm or, 2. his eyes; floats too many passes, doesn?t throw a strong deep ball despite having a big arm; has played in a shotgun-spread offense, will need adjustment time to a more traditional pro-set; has very little consistency--can look outstanding one half and then clueless the next. NFL Comparison: Cleo Lemon, a tall Bruce Gradkowski. Stock has fallen from likely 1st rounder into the 60-100 range although he?ll probably get overdrafted based on upside and hype. Still has the potential to be a very good NFL starter down the line. 8. Josh Johnson, San Diego--draft board riser from a small school, thanks to being the star of the Shrine game and workouts; very accurate short and intermediate passer from a system that emphasized quick decisions and precision routes and throws; moves around very well and can make plays with his legs; good at improv plays and also at taking what the defense gives him; quick, compact release and shows good footwork; engaging personality, a genuinely likable teammate; not very big (6?2?, 200) and doesn?t have a plus arm; throws deeper than about 20 yards tend to flutter but still with good accuracy; doesn?t always zip the ball as hard as he can/should; played in a lower-rung league of I-AA, though he helped lead the team to unprecedented heights; will need seasoning to adjust for both the system and level of competition--he hasn?t seen an NFL-caliber defender yet. NFL Comparison: Jeff Garcia, Charlie Batch. 3rd-5th round depending on interviews and workouts. Could develop into a major steal for a patient team even though I believe he?s perfect for the Arena League, and that?s not intended as an insult. Others who will hear their names called: Colt Brennan, Hawaii--exceptional accuracy on short and intermediate routes; great mechanics despite an unusual motion (think darts), good mobility and his mechanics don?t break down on the move; excels at spreading the ball around and finding the best option; stats are inflated by the run-and-shoot system, and he rarely takes snaps under center; tends to throw the ball low; not physically big or tough, looked like an overwhelmed high schooler in Mobile; the few times in college he faced any significant pass rush he looked awful; his felony conviction (later plead down) that forced him to leave Colorado for sexual assault might haunt him in April. Stock falling into the 4th-5th round, still too high in my opinion. Paul Smith, Tulsa--prolific passer in non-BCS conference; undersized but has bigger arm than it looks; tough in the pocket, can move around to buy time; always looking downfield and good at throwing on the move and under duress; has worked at limiting mistakes but will still force some balls and hold the ball too long; accuracy could be better--makes his receivers work and miss chances for YAC. Similar to Charlie Frye and Damon Huard, could have a long career as a non-threatening backup. 5th-6th round. Nick Hill, Southern Illinois--lefty scrambler with great touch; has shown a strong arm in limited pocket passing situations but is clearly more comfortable on the move; really improved his senior year at both accuracy and at finding secondary targets, showing more patience to let his WR's get open; inconsistent technique; needs work at pre-snap reads and deciphering coverages; not reallt tall (6?2ish) and not realy quick for a guy who likes to run; plays like he?s more a basketball PG than a QB, but that was said about Donovan McNabb once upon a time too. 6th-7th rounder and he?ll be an IR stash/practice squad guy for a couple years but could wind up being worth the time. Matt Flynn, LSU--has leadership dripping from him, taking his team to the BCS title in his only year as a starter; good decision maker with adequate zip and nice touch; hard worker who learns from his mistakes and understands his limitations; has connected well with NFL-caliber WR's in the tough SEC; has some mobility and escapability, but not really athletic compared to most guys in this class; has never been the undisputed #1 QB for a full season; will take chances, for better and for worse. 4th-5th rounder who has a lot of A.J. Feeley in him. Dennis Dixon, Oregon--agile, accurate scrambler with great leadership and athletic ability, but he?s a pro baseball prospect and suffered a nasty knee injury which won?t be healed until late summer at the earliest. Most of the scouting community believes he?s going to stick with baseball, and as a result his football negatives (iffy decision-making, impatience, coming from the spread) are easily sold. Compares with former Texas A&M QB Reggie McNeal, now attempting to stick as a WR/gadget play QB. Worth a 6th-7th round flier for a team that doesn?t need results for a couple of years. Alex Brink, Washington State--classic pocket passer who stands tall and has good fundamentals; good leader with loads of experience; goes through his progressions well and makes good decisions; excellent accuracy on shorter throws; lacks great size and is nothing more than a matador (and no Manolete!) for mobility; longer throws lack precision and velocity--DB's with closing speed can rack up the picks against him. 7th rounder who could wind up having a Ken Dorsey-type career as a de facto QB coach while serving as a #3 QB. Ricky Santos, New Hampshire--very prolific system passer with great accuracy and good mobility, but the level of competition, iffy velocity on deeper throws, and his small stature are major questions. 7th round or UDFA. Luke Drone, Illinois State--charismatic natural leader with many intangibles; good game manager and decision maker; excels at throwing timing routes and getting rid of the ball quickly; has some mobility and isn?t afraid to take a hit; great fundamentals; not very big or tall; arm strength is subpar and limits the offense; too hard on himself when he makes a mistake, like he?s reliving an INT two drives later. Has a similar game to Chad Pennington but a lower ceiling, and seeing Chad fall quickly from that ceiling inhibits Drone?s value. 7th round or UDFA who will be tough to cut. Anthony Morelli, Penn State--overhyped HS prospect who never developed as expected but has shown flashes of being a strong-armed pocket passer with moxie. Those fleeting flashes might get him drafted in the final 10 or so picks, but he?s a longshot to survive the summer in the NFL. Click here to view Jeff Risdon's top 103 players of the 2008 NFL Draft