Brohm's stock took a huge hit

0 Comments | Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Apr 25, 2008 | by Andrew Aragon Deseret News

It's almost unexplainable.

Had he left college after his junior year, former Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm almost certainly would have been a top-five pick in last year's NFL draft. But he chose to stay in school and attempt to lead his team to a second consecutive BCS berth and a more prominent place in the national landscape.

Things didn't turn out that way. The Cardinals fell way short of expectations, posting a 6-6 record. The disappointing season wasn't Brohm's fault, as he threw for 4,024 yards and 30 touchdowns, and completed 65 percent of his passes. You'd think that his stock would at least be as strong as it was last year after a season like that, but it isn't even close.

Brohm is now viewed as the second best quarterback in the draft, behind Boston College's Matt Ryan. There's even a chance that quarterbacks such as Michigan's Chad Henne and Delaware's Joe Flacco could get selected before Brohm, who could drop to the second round.

"There's a lot of opinions out there," Brohm told The Associated Press. "Everybody wants to have their take on you whether you think it's true or not."

The knocks on Brohm are that he lacks mobility and doesn't have a strong arm. There are also questions about his durability, as he suffered shoulder, thumb and ACL injuries in college.

"A lot of things came apart, and Brohm's not the kind of guy that can carry a team on his shoulders because he's not mobile and he doesn't have a great arm," ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. said in a conference call last month. "He's got a good arm, not a great arm. He's got adequate ability in the pocket to move around, but he's not going to escape regularly. He's not going to run for yardage or be a threat with his legs. He needs help, and when he doesn't get the help it brings about some concerns."

Brohm didn't face nearly as much scrutiny after his junior year. Now, it's Ryan who's getting all the love from scouts.

Teams love Ryan's intangibles, especially after he led Boston College to just its second 11-win season in school history. They vividly recall when he threw two touchdown passes in the final 2:20 of the Eagles' 14-10 win over Virginia Tech on ESPN last season. They also remember a game-winning touchdown pass he threw in the final minute of Boston College's 42-35 win over Maryland.

Ryan won't be picked lower than eighth in the first round. That's where the quarterback-needy Ravens are slotted. There's a chance he could go as high as third to the Falcons.

There's a large drop-off in talent at the quarterback position following Ryan, Brohm, Henne and Flacco. Those players should be picked in the first two rounds. After them, there's very little depth in this class, and teams won't find much value in the later rounds.

Quarterbacks

Local watch: Erik Ainge

OK, this is a stretch, but there are no prospects from any of the local schools. Ainge, who started in 37 games at Tennessee, is the nephew of BYU great Danny Ainge. He projects as a mid-to-late round pick.

Top five:

Player . . . . . School . . . . . Ht/Wt

1. Matt Ryan . . . . . Boston College . . . . . 6-4/228

2. Brian Brohm . . . . . Louisville . . . . . 6-3/230

3. Chad Henne . . . . . Michigan . . . . . 6-3/230

4. Joe Flacco . . . . . Delaware . . . . . 6-6/236

5. Andre Woodson . . . . . Kentucky . . . . . 6-4/229

Sleeper watch: Matt Flynn, LSU

Flynn doesn't have much experience as a big-time starter. He played behind JaMarcus Russell, last year's No. 1 overall pick, for two years. But he's a proven winner, as he led the Tigers to the national title last season.

E-mail: aaragon@desnews.com