The skinny: Why teams have knocked him down their boards is a mystery. He outplayed Matt Ryan last year and he's had a better career. He will be the best of this group. I've stuck to my conviction on this one throughout the draft process, and there's no changing it.
The skinny: He played without top weapons in college, which hurt. But he struggled in some games, especially against speed teams, and that's a concern.
The skinny: He's a strong-armed passer who has skills that make scouts drool. My concern would be why he ran away from trying to beat out Tyler Palko at Pittsburgh before he transferred.
The skinny: He might never be a star, but he will be a quality backup who might take over as a starter in a couple of years. He plays smart and he's got a good-enough arm.
Player on the rise:
Brohm. Teams have gone back and done the work, and now he's possibly moving back into the first round. Smart move.
Player on the decline:
Josh Johnson, San Diego. After his impressive senior season, teams wanted to like him. Some speculated he could be a first-day pick. After evaluating his talents, they were disappointed. He'll go late on Day 2.
Sleeper
Ricky Santos, New Hampshire. He isn't a big guy nor does he have a big arm, but he might be a fit as a backup in a West Coast offense.
Overrated
Ryan. He isn't the franchise passer that some would make you think.
Position analysis:
There might not be a franchise star like a Peyton Manning in this group, but the top three are all good players. They all should be NFL starters, one or two of them stars. Most scouts like Ryan the best, but I prefer the other two. After those three, Flacco is intriguing because of his arm, and there are a handful of others who had success on the college level. There's Booty, Kentucky's Andre Woodson and Tennessee's Erik Ainge. They all put up big passing numbers as college players. I like this quarterback group more than most.
