With offseason surgery on his foot and a new head coach, it would have been easy for Boston College Eagles quarterback Matt Ryan to write off any poor play in 2007. However, the Eagles signal caller came through last year, setting numerous BC records in addition to garnering some Heisman Trophy consideration. He finished the season completing 388 of his 654 passes (59.3 percent) for 4,507 yards, 31 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. His play earned him an award as the Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year, as well as a seventh-place finish in the Heisman voting. Ryan has had a solid but not spectacular offseason. He ran a 4.89 40-yard dash at the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine but chose not to participate in any throwing drills. He also skipped the Senior Bowl. Instead, he waited until Boston College's Pro Day to throw, where reviews were mixed. Some felt he was not as accurate and instead relied on his receivers, while others felt his accuracy was not an issue. Either way, Ryan is the top quarterback on the board and will certainly go in the top 10. Positives If you had to come up how a pocket quarterback should look, Ryan could be a prototype. He stands tall at 6-foot-4, and Ryan weighs 228 pounds. He has decent mobility but won't be a threat to break any big runs. However, his game is built around his passing, where he is as good a threat as any in this draft class. Ryan is at his best throwing the short-to-intermediate ball. He has touch on his passes and can thread the needle when throwing into tight coverage. His awareness is one of his strong points as he can avoid the rush, usually by stepping up in the pocket and getting his throw off before going down. Even if forced to run, he can still complete the passes and has accuracy outside of the pocket. His accuracy has led some scouts to believe he will function best in the West Coast offense. Perhaps his best ability comes from Ryan's leadership. The team underwent a coaching change prior to last season, yet Ryan was able to quickly pick up the offense and served as one of the team leaders. His rehab from foot surgery also speaks to his dedication and work ethic as he was able to come back stronger. Furthermore, Ryan had to learn a new offense. His interviews at the combine only backed up the claims to his high football intelligence. Negatives link to rest of story http://www.kffl.com/article.php/87734/160
