Today's draft watch games include Matt Ryan...
 

December 28, 2007:

Boston College vs Michigan State; Champs Sports Bowl; 5 PM et; ESPN… A pretty good case can be made that this afternoon’s Champs Sports Bowl match-up between Boston College and Michigan State has as much talent for the 2008 draft as any contest on the early bowl schedule. BC QB Matt Ryan (#12, 6-5, 235), for example, has been one of the major rising stars of the upcoming draft class; indeed, there are teams around the league that would make the Ryan the first player off the board at the position ahead of the likes o Louisville’s Brian Brohm and Andre’ Woodson of Kentucky. And Ryan could very well be joined in this Year’s opening round by rugged OT Gosder Cherilus (#77, 6-6, 320) and CB DeJuan Tribble (#27, 5-9, 190), although the latter won’t play because of an injury. Meanwhile, the Eagles’ senior class also has plenty of depth including the RB duo of Andre Callender (#32, 5-10, 205) and L.V. Whitworth (#30, 5-11, 222), All-America FS Jamie Silva (#44, 5-11, 205), DE Nick Larkin (#57, 6-3, 255), MLB Jolonn Dunbar (#40, 6-0, 225) and WR Kevin Challenger (#84, 5-9, 185).

Michigan State could also have an impact on the early going at the 2008 draft if junior WR Devin Thomas (#5, 6-1, 215) who doesn’t get that much in the way of national pub, but has been as productive as any receiver in the country this fall. Indeed, Thomas, who runs in the 4.50 range for the 40, caught 76 passes for 1,200 yards this fall and averaged a healthy 28.1 yards per KO returns. The Spartans also have one o college football’s most versatile players in TE Kellen Davis (#80, 6-5, 255) who also plays along the defensive line. MSU also features a big offensive line including OT Pete Clifford (#75, 6-6, 320), OG Mike Gyetvai (#66, 6-6, 310) and C John Masters (#54, 6-3, 285) who combine to clear the road for RBs Javon Ringer (#23, 5-9, 205), an explosive junior pile driving Jehuu Caulcrick (#30, 5-11, 255). Meanwhile, the Spartans defense isn’t as strong as the offense and won’t be helped by the act that star DE Jonal St. Dic won’t play because of academics, although steady MLB Kaleb Thornhill (#41, 6-0, 240), DT Ogemdi Nwagbuo (#99, 6-3, 290), DE Ervin Baldwin (#51, 6-2, 270), and safeties Nehemiah Warrick (#3, 6-1, 210), Travis Key (#13, 5-10, 185) and junior Otis Wiley (#21, 6-1, 210) are solid second-tier types.

Houston vs Texas Christian; Texas Bowl, 8 PM ET; NFL Network… If speed is the name of the game, then pro scouts will be tuned when Houston plays TCU in the Texas Bowl as the Cougars feature two of the fastest players in the country as both WR Donnie Avery (#2, 5-10, 190) and RB Anthony Aldridge (#22, 5-9, 175) run close to 4.3 for the 40. And both have translated that speed into terrific productivity on the field. Avery, who doubles as an outstanding KO return man who averaged over 28 yards a return this fall, for example, had 81 catches this season for over 1,300 yards. For his part, Aldridge, who is smallish by current NFL standards, had over 2,000 yards in total offense this season including 1,600 yards on the ground and another 400 plus on 41 receptions; Aldridge also scored 19 times this season. Meawnhile, Avery combines with rangy WR Jeron Harvey (#9, 6-5, 215) to give the Cougars one of the better 1-2 punches at the position in college football. Other Cougars to watch include OG Jeff Akeroyd (#77, 6-3, 295), junior DE Phillip Hunt (#53, 6-2, 250), LBs Brendan Pahula (#3, 6-2, 240) and Trent Allen (#41, 6-1, 245) and safety Rocky Schwartz (#20, 5-10, 200).

The player under the microscope in the Texas Bowl though, will be TCU DE Tommy Blake (#97, 6-2, 255). Blake came into the season rated as one of the top pass-rushers in the country, but ended up sitting out much of the year dealing with some personal issues. If on his game, though, Blake combines with fellow DE Chase Ortiz (#93, 6-2, 255) to give the Horned Frogs a dangerous outside pass rush. TCU also has a pretty good KR in SS Brian Bonner (#6, 5-10, 200), while FS David Roach (#27, 6-1, 215) and OLB David Hawthorne (#46, 5-11, 225) are solid. And if the offense stalls, the horned Frogs have one o the country’s most accurate PKs in Chris Manfredini (#44, 5-9, 165).

Maryland vs Oregon State; Emerald Bowl; 8:30 PM ET; ESPN… Which team wins this year’s Emerald Bowl may come down to who wins the head-to-head battle between star Oregon State RB Yvenson Bernard (#26, 5-9, 205), a slasher with over 3,700 career rushing yards, and Maryland junior MLB Erin Henderson (#1, 6-2, 236), the more athletic younger brother of Vikings’ LB E.J. Henderson. Bernard runs behind a huge offensive line anchored by OGs Roy Schuening (#67, 6-3, 320) and junior Jeremy Perry (#62, 6-3, 315) who was considered the top player at the position prior to the season but played little because of a leg injury. The Beavers also have a very experienced defensive front sevens which starts al seniors including DEs Dorian Smith (#93, 6-3, 260) and Jeff Van Ostrow (49, 6-3, 265) and LBs Derrick Doggett (#45, 6-3, 210), Alan Darlin (#46, 6-0, 255) and Joey Larocque (#44, 6-1, 220). For good measure, Oregon State also has one of the better kickers in the nation in PK Alex Serna (#13, 5-8, 170).

If LB Henderson decides to stay in school for the 2008 season, the Terps’ best prospect for the upcoming draft should be emerging DT Dre Moore (#92, 6-4, 315), a rugged run stuffer with enough quickness to post 6.5 sacks this season. The Terps will also feature one of college football’s better 1-2 senior punches at RB in Lance Ball (#44, 5-9, 225) and Keon Lattimore (#21, 5-10, 225), while TE Joey Haynos (#880, 6-7, 260) is a decent blocker and improving receiver. Meanwhile, veteran OG Andrew Crummey (#63, 6-4, 305) is a solid interior blocker. The most intriguing Maryland prospect, though, may ultimately be redshirt sophomore WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (#8, 6-1, 205) who is still learning the nuances of the position, but is a former track star who may very well be the fastest player in college football.

who

He is the next Todd Blackledge if we draft him or the next Dan Marino if we pass on him.

I hope that's a joke...

Has anyone seen the spoof commercial about KU football? I guess it's like the Mac-PC commercials. I think maybe some Va Tech students made it. They mention it on Deadspin, but I can't see it at work.

http://sqwable.net/kansas-vs-virgina...mercial-spoofs

FYP

:LOL:

Thanks! :thumb:

1 hour to kickoff.

Ryan is a 1st round possibility.
Cherilus is a potential 2nd round LT pick.
Davis is a TE candidate considering Dunn and Bigfoot appear to be finished.

10 minutes to kickoff if anyone cares.

Ryan is a lock top 10 pick, possibly top 5...

Cherilus may go 1st or 2nd...he projects as a RT though.

Sorry, I meant possible first round pick for us.

Well I hope people check it out seeing as I doubt many here have seen more than a few minutes of Matt Ryan.

I was really impressed with him early on. But then in the second half of the season he kept making stupid decisions in every game I saw.

Well they essentially ask him to win games by himself, their WR's are awful. Cherilus has NFL talent but the rest of their line has problems, especially their RT who is a freshman that weighs 260lbs.

Funny

:p

Like I said he has no receivers...

2 nice throws and his receivers can't help him out.

Sounds like he'll fit right in with KC.

He's not playing to badly so far, when you realize what he plays with what he's been able to do this season is pretty impressive.

I hope you all are watching this..Ryan is showing all facets of the game while essentially being all his team has.

He's playing really well on this drive.

They have NO running game.

I'd be fine with taking any of the big 3 QB's in the first round. I like Croyle but if you have a chance to get a QB like that I think you take it. Same reason I would have taken Quinn last year had he fallen another spot.

I think I just saw our QBOTF.

Great throw, but he'll never have that kind of time in the NFL.

Never have that time with the Chiefs.

Brohm his head and shoulders the best QB in the draft

1. Brohm
5. Ryan
6. Woodson

The thing you notice right away about Ryan is he's smart. He walks up to the line and checks things and knows when guys are coming when he has time when he has to get the ball out.

He also has incredible pocket presence he knows how much time he has every time, it's uncanny. He isn't fast or overly mobile but he can move just enough to buy time..

The top notch intangibles they're all there.

Fair enough that you have this opinion, but the BC offense is pretty generic and simplistic

He's head and shoulders the worst of the 3 big QB prospects.

You're definitely wrong. Brohm has the quickest release, best footwork, and most accuracy. He also has been in the most vertical offense. He has done it for years at Louisville. You know what you are going to get.

You know what you're getting because he has by far the lowest upside of the 3. And he's got the weakest arm by a country mile.

What happened to Brennan?

His arm is not weak. We'll see when the REAL scouting reports come out

He sucks?

It's pretty hard for Matt Ryan to get vertical when he has slow WR's that don't have much talent...

Matt Ryan is winning games for his team by himself for the most part, and doing it under center in an NFL style offense.

Also Matt Ryan looks the part, he doesn't look small, or frail, he's also excellent and avoiding taking hits.

Brohm has some injury questions...

Comparing this class of QBs to 06's:

Brohm=Leinart. Maybe the most NFL ready, but with only adequate physical skills.

Ryan=Young. Good physical skills, intangibles.

Woodson=Cutler. Good arm, uh..........played in the SEC.

OK what about that throw Ryan just made, it wasn't caught but that was a hell of a throw.

He's got a mediocre arm that looks even worse when compared to Woodson and Ryan.

Other than Matt Ryan has top notch intelligence and intangibles, that Young really doesn't.

Matt Ryan for President.

I don't want Woodson or Brohm for sure. Ryan is still up in the air, but I'd think Miami or Atlanta takes him

Brohm is most decidedly not NFL ready. He'll need at least a season with a clipboard to get accostomed to the league, maybe two.

Ryan's the most NFL ready, hands down. He probably can start from day one.

Woodson will have an even higher curve than Brohm does...his upside is higher but he's not as polished.

Agreed 100%.

I'm not a fan of taking any of these guys with a Top 5 pick, but I wouldn;t jump off a bridge if it happened to be Ryan.

The other two would be HUGE reaches/mistakes.

P.S. I like Houston's Avery as a 4th round pick.

I don't think any of the 3 should be starting from day 1, but I think Ryan and Woodson are probably more NFL ready at the moment. They've shown a much better understanding of the game and they're both guys who can lead a huddle. Brohm scrapes the bottom of the barrel when it comes to intangibles.

I also like Silva as a low-rounder.

And Bostons undersized freshman RT has an issue.

<object width="425" height="373"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vvtelnXOGOE&rel=1&border=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vvtelnXOGOE&rel=1&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="373"></embed></object> LMAO

ouch.

INT

Ryan looked just liked brodie

Its Brohm as the best

BC having no speed really hurts them.

****, I like Silva as a mid-round pick.

Stop making excuses

When you realize who he plays with and the limitations that offense has Ryan has done a great job this year......even Brohm has a couple NFL rated players with him.

They have 0 ability to go deep...all they can do is throw screens short and mid routes.

It's not like we're judging a QB surrounded by NFL talent here, he has no run game and no speed or even good WR.

119 tackles with 8 picks?

I like Silva as a high-round pick.

Oh I have watched enough Brohm to know what he is about. We can argue all we want, but we won't know until they play.


I just have a very strong (and fairly knowledgeable) opinion

Stats won't really suggest where he gets picked.....if he goes out and runs a 4.7 and is undersized all his stats won't matter.

I think Brohm sits in a no win situation in some ways. If he puts up big numbers "he's a system guy" when his numbers aren't that big it's "where are his stats!"

I question some things about him like the amount of games he's missed and the amount of injuries/surgeries he's had.

Ryan looks pretty good.

He's making all types of throws you'd like a good QB to. I still don't want to draft a QB in the first round, I'm a proponent of suring up either side of the line, but he hasn't made more than a couple bad decisions in the first half, and if we did happen to draft him I wouldn't be upset.

I was fairly certain we would go after OL last draft, and when we got Dwayne Bowe I was kinda pissed. I hadn't watched him, but he panned out pretty well. If we draft Ryan, fine. If we don't, I won't cry myself to sleep. But he's looked pretty good so far.

So I was checking some things out.......

Falcons fans think they'll take Jake Long with their first pick then go with a QB with 1 of their 2 2nd round picks....that would cause a few people's heads here to explode I'm sure....

So if that does happen, can you possibly pass on Matt Ryan?

It's funny how people tend to underrate a guy like Silva saying he's late round material just because they can't come to terms with a white defensive back being that good.

Hey Marlboro Chief.

Yes because it has tons to do with him being white....

Or maybe because he's not all that fast?

That and he's not very big.

I guess we'd have to give Ryan serious consideration. Maybe Baker or Cherilius will still be around in the early 2nd...

He'll probably be lucky to get picked at this point, no matter what his stats are you have to have certain measurables.

I would take Sedrick Ellis or trade the pick.

Trading out will be typical Chiefs, they're to scared to make a QB pick in the top 5.

Todd Blackledge sighting.

Ryan looks good considering MSU isn't respecting the BC run at all.

Even though the numbers are not very good for Ryan, you sort of have to like what he is doing. He looks the part of a stud nfl QB.

The TE from MSU looks like a player too. Pretty ripped fellow. Much like Gonzo. Might be a good pick in the middle rounds as well.

You mean like Ryan actually looks like a QB unlike Croyle who looks like he should eat something?

Ryan looks like Manning and Brady. Croyle looks like Montana. :p

Ryan's 2-3 inches taller than Brodie and weighs 15-20 pounds more.

I would take a QB if he was worth the top 5, I dont think Ryan is though IMO.

That's a pretty big deal....

I still think the 3 top guys this year are better prospects than Croyle is. And next years QB class will be worse...

Jesus BC really has no speed, Ryan has the arm to throw it down there and the WR's just can't get there fast enough.