Originally published Monday, April 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM

Scouting the Draft | Ryan heads QBs; Hawks unlikely to draft one

Ryan is clearly the best of the bunch here. He's widely viewed as good but perhaps not can't-miss, so it wouldn't be a...

By José Miguel Romero

Seattle Times staff reporter

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Matt Ryan


Top Quarterback, kicker, punter
Rk	Pos	Player	College	Ht	Wt	Comment
1	QB	Matt Ryan	Boston College	6-5	228	Size, poise, toughness, college — similar to Hawks' Matt.
2	QB	Brian Brohm	Louisville	6-3	230	Projected to be late first-round, early second-round pick.
3	QB	Chad Henne	Michigan	6-3	230	Might thrive in a short-passing, West Coast style of offense.
1	K	Taylor Mehlhaff	Wisconsin	5-11	183	Consistent and can hit from 50 yards.
1	P	Durrant Brooks	Georgia Tech	6-0	204	Ray Guy Award winner as nation's top punter.

Position summary

Ryan is clearly the best of the bunch here. He's widely viewed as good but perhaps not can't-miss, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Ryan fall out of the top three picks but he shouldn't last beyond 10. Should that happen, it would be the first time since 2000 that a quarterback hasn't been chosen in the top three overall selections.

In fact, a quarterback has gone No. 1 overall in six of the past seven drafts. Not likely this year. Delaware's Joe Flacco is also a top prospect. The top two prospects from the Northwest are Oregon's Dennis Dixon, who seemed destined for the top 10 until his knee injury late last season, and Washington State's Alex Brink, who is at best a late-round pick and more likely a rookie free agent.

Brooks could go in the fourth or fifth round, but the rest at his position and the kickers are not likely to go before the sixth round.

Seahawks slant

Another year, another chance to say that the Seahawks are set at quarterback. They have their leader, Pro Bowler and starter in Matt Hasselbeck, a capable backup in Seneca Wallace and a guy who has started in the NFL before, Charlie Frye, as the No. 3 guy. Hard to imagine the Seahawks choosing a QB in the draft unless it's late.

Seattle hasn't drafted a quarterback since David Greene in 2005, and Greene was released before last season. Besides, why would a quarterback be taken if Mike Holmgren, a guru of QB development, won't be around to help the kid blossom in the NFL?

Look for the Seahawks to explore drafting a kicker to compete with free-agent veteran Olindo Mare.

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