Quarterbacks for the 2008 NFL Draft

The top quarterback on everybody's draft board is Louisville's Brian Brohm, with both NFL caliber receivers Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia returning, there is every reason to believe Brohm will be the first player selected in the 2008 NFL Draft. Brohm has good size at 6' 3" 223 pounds, stands tall in the pocket and delivers the ball with supreme accuracy. He has a strong arm but not a cannon, his accuracy is his forte. He has the blood line; he is the fourth Brohm to play quarterback for the Cardinals. Last season (2006) he was the Big East offensive Player of the Year and over his three year career he has thrown for 6,751 yards and 41 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions. Brohm is a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. His only weakness has been his ability to stay healthy.

One of the top quarterbacks available for the 2009 NFL Draft is Brohm's back-up Hunter Cantwell. The 6' 4" 230 pound junior has a strong arm and very good mechanics. When Brohm has been injured Cantwell has came in and looked impressive, he started the last two games last year and threw for 640 yards and five touchdowns, Cantwell threw for a career high 340 yards verses Middle Tennessee.

Quarterback Matt Ryan from Boston College is my second ranked quarterback; Ryan has all the tools to succeed at the next level. Prototype size at 6' 4 222 pounds, strong arm, accuracy, production, Ryan last season threw for 2,942 and 15 touchdowns with an impressive 61.6 completion percentage. What really separates Ryan from the pack is his pocket presence and coolness under pressure. With another year of improvement and of course good health (Ryan has been injury prone) Ryan could emerge as a first round NFL Draft prospect in the 2008 NFL Draft. Ryan has been a little bit streaky however and he will have to eliminate the costly interception.

This is where it gets interesting, the next three signal caller are rated almost evenly and depending on how they play in 2007 they could either emerge as first round draft picks or slip into the second day of the 2008 NFL Draft. Colt Brennan from Hawaii, Chad Henne from Michigan and John David Booty from national contender USC, will all be in the mix for the Heisman Trophy and for a chance to be selected in the opening round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Tennessee's Eric Ainge is another fine NFL prospect; he did suffer a knee injury during spring practice, but should be ready to go for the regular season. Ainge has played off and on since he was a freshman and has been a little inconsistent, as a sophomore he struggled a little throwing for a low 45.5 completion percentage, but as a junior the lights came on and he really excelled. He improved his completion percentage to 67%. If Ainge improves as much in his senior year as he did in his junior year we might even be watching him walk up to the podium in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Ainge definitely has the size for it at 6' 5" 224 pounds.

I would be shirking my duties if I didn't highlight the quarterback that was number one in the SEC in total offense last year (2006). Andre' Woodson from Kentucky is huge at 6' 5" 230 pounds and was number one in passing yards (3,315) and number two in passing efficiency (63%) in the SEC last season. His 31 touchdowns to only 7 interceptions are impressive indeed. Athlon Sport's first team All-SEC selection, Woodson, in 2005 set a school record completing 162 consecutive passes without an interception. Now the reality, for all his gaudy statistics Woodson doesn't have the mechanics or accuracy of the above mentioned signal callers. He will still get a chance to play in the NFL, it just won't be right away and he will more than likely be as a mid to late round NFL Draft pick.

The other quarterback that I want to mention is small school wonder Josh Johnson from Division 1AA San Diego. You will be hearing more about this kid as the 2008 NFL Draft nears, but now you can say you heard it here first. This small school prospect can really play quarterback and he should be selected in the 2008 NFL Draft. With a solid senior season he might even be a mid round draft pick. Johnson is a little thin, but he is tall enough at 6' 3" 202 pounds. He has excellent mechanics and outstanding accuracy and arm strength. Johnson put up some fantastic numbers last year and he is also dangerous when he takes off and runs the ball. Last season Johnson threw for over 3,300 yards and 34 touchdowns with a 66.3 completion percentage, he also rushed for 720 yards. The Pioneer Football League isn't the SEC so Johnson will have a tall hill to climb to make it at the next level, but he does have the raw skills to play quarterback as a professional.