The NFL draft is fast approaching, so here is my first in a series of looks at the top players at each position for the 2008 NFL draft.
    
If anyone saw the quarterback play across the NFL last season, you can clearly see why as many as five quarterbacks could come off the board by the end of the second round. This is a quarterback drained league right now, and at least a third of the teams in the NFL would like to upgrade their starting quarterback slot.
    
With the drums rolling, here are my takes on the top quarterbacks available for the 2008 draft…

The Talent… Matt Ryan-Boston College…Ryan has all the skills you look for a in a top prospect. The strong-armed signal caller from BC has great size, a super strong arm, he is very accurate throwing the football downfield and he is a tremendous leader. Matt is not quite as good as Carson Palmer was when he came out of USC, but there isn’t much of a gap between the two. In most seasons he would be the top overall selection and if the stars align right, he just may be the top overall choice. 

Ryan will be a Top-5 pick in the 2008 draft…

The Chart Mover..   Chad Henne- Michigan Henne got off to a terrible start in 2007 and he had some injuries throughout the season, but the 4-year starter at quarterback for the Wolverines closed strong. Henne really blistered the Florida secondary in the 2008 Outback Bowl and he had a strong showing at the Senior Bowl. In many respects he is a bigger version of what Brady Quinn was when he came out of Notre Dame last season. Henne is pushing Louisville’s Brian Brohm hard for the second spot on the quarterback board. 
    
Chad currently grades out as a late 1st or early 2nd round pick selection.

The Unknown…    Joe Flacco-Delaware  Flacco started out his college career at Pittsburgh, but when the Panther coaching staff made it known that Tyler Palco (now with the New Orleans Saints) would be their starter, he fled to Delaware. Flacco, a 6-6, 235 pound fire-thrower, really has lit it up the past two seasons for the Blue Hens. If he can gain some touch and better his reads downfield, Flacco has a real strong chance to develop into a starting NFL quarterback. Flacco could well end up being selected in the 2nd round.
    
He is taking a big step up in competition, but this young man can really hum the football.

The Sleeper….   Josh Johnson-San Diego Josh is from the University of San Diego, not San Diego State. The very athletic passer has completed 68% of his passes throughout his career. You can’t overlook the fact that Johnson has thrown 113 touchdowns and 9,699 passing yards during his college career. Josh is a developmental prospect, but he is awfully talented and he has a real strong passion for this sport. Don’t be surprised to see his name come off the board in Round 3.

The Locals..John David Booty-USC and Matt Flynn-LSU Booty left Evangel High School in Shreveport after his junior season with two Louisiana Class 5-A state championships on his resume. While John David waited patiently for Matt Leinart to finish out his storied college career at USC, when he got his shot as a starter, Booty was impressive. You really have to like his passing techniques and his ability to go through the proper reads downfield. He plays the game with an air of confidence about him and he is a very accurate downfield passer. The two-year starter for the Trojans is projected to be selected in the 3rd round.
    
Like Booty, Flynn had to patiently wait his time to start at an elite school. Flynn was JaMarcus Russell’s understudy for two seasons at LSU, but he got his shot to start in 2007. While there were some inconsistent moments for Flynn as a senior, he showed a lot of football moxy and some real strong late game heroics.  A BCS National Championship title looks pretty good on the tout-sheet, and Matt showed good accuracy skills and touch on his throws to a very young receiver group at LSU. While there is some concern about his injured shoulder, if Matt is healthy, he projects to be selected in the 5th round. Interesting fact is that Flynn and Booty both had dads that played college football. Flynn’s dad played at Baylor and Booty’s father played football at Arkansas, Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech.

Mike D’s Top 6 QB. Prospects for the 2008 Draft…

1. Matt Ryan-Boston College  1st Round (Top 5 pick)
2. Brian Brohm-Louisville Middle to late 1st Round
3. Chad Henne-Michigan  Late 1st or early 2nd round choice
4. Andre’ Woodson-Kentucky Middle to late 2nd round choice
5. Joe Flacco-Delaware  Middle to late 2nd round choice
6. John David Booty-USC  3rd round choice

Saints Interest in a QB..  Middle Range…. The Saints have one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL in Drew Brees, but head coach Sean Payton has a strong liking to groom a potential starting quarterback for the future. With back-up Jamie Martin 38-years old, the Saints are on the prowl for a young signal-caller. The Saints had plenty of interest in drafting Ohio State Heisman Trophy winning QB. Troy Smith before the Baltimore Ravens selected him in the 5th round of the 2007 draft.
    
Don’t be surprised to see the Saints use a middle round choice on shoring up the depth at quarterback. Oregon’s Dennis Dixon, San Diego State’s Kevin O’Connell and even Hawaii’s falling-star quarterback Colt Brennan, may be in the mix for the Saints in the middle rounds