This passer dropped back
Louisville's Brohm stands by his call
If the NFL draft were the stock market, then Louisville's Brian Brohm would be Bear Stearns.
Last year at this time, Brohm was considered by many a top-five pick, his value peaking. Yet he bypassed the 2007 draft to return to Louisville, had a difficult campaign, and now he might slip out of this year's first round completely.
While this year's crop of quarterbacks is headlined by Boston College's Matt Ryan, who is expected to be selected within the first eight picks, the 6-foot-3-inch, 230-pound Brohm might have the most compelling story because of his unexpected plunge. He insists he has no regrets.
"My season didn't go as well as expected, but I feel like I learned a lot from that," the 22-year-old Brohm said. "I wouldn't go back and change a thing."
Brohm hasn't fallen completely off the radar, as he is part of a second tier of quarterbacks behind Ryan - a group that includes Michigan's Chad Henne and Delaware's Joe Flacco.
As has been the case in past drafts, quarterback-needy teams might consider trading into the back half of the first round to snare one of the second-level signal-callers. Consider this recent history:
In 2007, the Browns dealt back in to select Notre Dame's Brady Quinn (No. 22). Two years prior, the Redskins made a similar move to snare Auburn's Jason Campbell (No. 25). In 2004, the Bills traded back for J.P. Losman (No. 22) and the year before that, the Ravens swung a deal with the Patriots to get Kyle Boller (No. 19).
Those moves are reflective of the value of the quarterback spot, and how teams can be more liberal in their trade discussions - often offering up a future first-round selection - to get in position to select one of them.
Swampscott's Todd McShay of Scouts Inc. said the second-tier quarterback class in next weekend's draft is one of the story lines that catches his eye.
"You have maybe a half-dozen teams looking for a quarterback, and while I think these are all second-round talents, the quarterback position is unique so you could see teams jockeying for one of them," he said.
If Brohm is selected in the first round, it would lessen the sting from his dramatic drop, which was partially a result of an unexpected coaching change and an alteration of Louisville's offensive system.
Of the other quarterbacks with whom he is grouped, Henne (6-3, 230) is considered a tough competitor who reminds some of Tom Brady, while Flacco, who played at Delaware, may have the strongest arm in the draft.
Perhaps the draft's most exciting quarterback, because of his multifaceted playmaking ability, is San Diego's Josh Johnson. He's projected as a mid-round selection, and while there is concern over the level of competition at which he played (Football Championship Subdivision, formerly Division 1-AA), scouts like that he has played in a pro-style offense under former NFL quarterback Jim Harbaugh.
In New England, outside of Ryan, University of New Hampshire's Ricky Santos is projected as a late-round to free-agent type. He has already received feelers from the Canadian Football League if an NFL offer does not come. Scouts generally express concern over his size - 6 feet, 209 pounds - but few question his on-field production and winning intangibles.
While it might have been simply part of their scouting process, the Patriots scheduled several personal workouts with quarterbacks leading into the draft, leading some to believe the team plans to select a young signal-caller. Brady is under contract through 2010, while top backup Matt Cassel is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency after the 2008 season. No. 3 quarterback Matt Gutierrez, who made the club last year as a rookie free agent, showed promise and could compete for the No. 2 job. The Patriots control Gutierrez's rights through the 2009 season.
