FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. --The Atlanta Falcons selected Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan with the third pick in the 2008 NFL Draft Saturday.
In Ryan the team gets an experienced leader that should be an anchor of the team for many seasons to come.
Ryan was the ACC Player of the Year last season and an early Heisman Trophy favorite. He compiled a 25-7 record as a starter and was widely regarded as the best quarterback in the Draft.
He becomes the 21st quarterback selected by the Falcons in team history and the fifth taken in the first round.
"I'm excited about the opportunity to get down there, earn the respect from my teammates and do whatever I can to get on the field," Ryan said. "It's going to be a lot of fun working with those guys and winning games."
Ryan started 34 of 45 games at Boston College, completing 837 of 1,347 passes (59.91 percent) for 9,313 yards, 56 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He rushed 168 times for 58 yards (0.3-yard average) and 11 scores, adding a one-yard reception and one solo tackle. He lost seven of his 17 total fumbles and was sacked 50 times for losses totaling 381 yards. On 1,515 offensive plays, he amassed 9,371 yards in total offense, an average of 208.24 yards per game.
Falcons General Manager Thomas Dimitroff said the team decided to take Ryan over defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey on Thursday. The team held both players in high regard, but need at quarterback stayed paramount.
"Value and team need was a tipping point," Dimitroff said, adding that Ryan gives the Falcons offense "a new dimension."
A balanced signal-caller, Ryan attempted 654 passes his senior season at Boston College and threw for 31 touchdowns (19 interceptions).
Ryan was also a two-time team captain at BC. He carried the nickname "Matty Ice" during his college career because of the smooth, calm way he approached the game and led numerous comebacks.
Standing tall in the pocket is easy for Ryan, who studied under a coach with NFL experience at Boston College. He appears to have all the leadership intangibles needed for a career at the next level.
He also has the John Elway-like knack for comeback victories, as he showed last season in a last-minute drive at Virginia Tech.
"I know at BC we’ve been very successful in the fourth quarter for the past couple of years," he said earlier in the pre-Draft process. "I think we’ve had a bunch of games where we’ve kept it close, our defense has played great and we’ve run the ball and thrown the ball and kept ourselves in the game late into the fourth quarter. Then we’ve had whatever it took to kind of pull it out at the end, whether it be a couple of long runs or a big pass play or an interception on defense. I don’t know what it is, but I know we had it a lot when we were at BC."
He starts a new era of his football career soon.
And, with that, a new era of Falcons football.
"I'm excited to get to know the guys and work with them soon in the next few weeks," Ryan said. "I can't wait to meet them so we can all get on the same page and learn the offense together."
The 6-foot-5, 224-pounder should workout at the team's next mini camp, which begins May 10. There he'll meet up with the team's coaching staff on the field and get instruction on becoming an NFL quarterback. Dimitroff said Ryan can make every throw with accuracy.
"We're just going to work with him," Dimitroff said. "Our coaching staff is very adept and we're just moving forward and I know he's excited about being here."
"Hopefully I can make a smooth transition," Ryan said. "I'm going to do everything I can between now and then to learn the playbook and have the offense down pat... I just can't wait to get down there."
A press conference is scheduled for 9 a.m. Sunday to introduce Matt Ryan and tackle Sam Baker (21st overall pick). The event will be carried live on MyFalconsDraft.com.
MORE ON QUARTERBACK MATT RYAN:
- JERSEY: Get your Matt Ryan jersey at Falcons365
- VIDEO: Combine Interview | Highlights
- FEATURE: AF.com preview on Ryan, quarterbacks
- WIKIPEDIA: Matthew Thomas "Matt" Ryan
- NFL.com: Matt Ryan Profile
- YOUTUBE: Matt Ryan leads BC on their final drive to beat the Hokies
- YOUTUBE: Meet Matt Ryan (We are BC)
- YOUTUBE: Matt Ryan Highlights
- YOUTUBE: Matt Ryan for Heisman: Boston College vs. Miami
- YOUTUBE: Matt Ryan for Heisman: Boston College vs. Bowling Green
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- NEWS: Ryan to be on cover of EA Sports game
