This was tough. I wanted to rank the two studs below 1 and 1A. They're both that good.
I'll just explain the rest below.
2. Brian Brohm
The Louisville field general passed up some serious scratch and returned for his senior season and his reward should be the honor of being the first QB taken in the 2008 Draft. He's ready for Sundays now. I'm a little worried that his numbers will suffer some with coach Bobby Petrino now in Atlanta. However, with Vick in the proverbial doghouse, perhaps he's the future of the Falcons. Brohm has all the intangibles: size, patience, decision making, leadership, etc. Sometimes his throwing motion has me doing a double take (almost like he short-arms it), but I think much of that could be related to a lightning-quick release. Whatever it is, the ball is usually on point and in the hands of his dangerous receivers. It's fun to watch Brohm take his five-step drop, go through his read progressions, step up and fire a strike because he does it with great poise. Brohm has the tendency to check down to a tight end, back or short pattern, but he has the arm and the receivers in Harry Douglas and Mario Urrutia to let it fly - something he should do all season long. Assuming he plays in every game this year, there's no reason he shouldn't have 400 attempts, 3,600 yards, 25 TDs and no more than five or six INTs. However, he has the skill set that he should be aiming to improve his completion percentage to the neighborhood of 70 (63 in 2006).
1. Darren McFadden
I watched run after run and the result was the same: Extreme efficiency from the very first step. The Arkansas junior doesn't waste a tenth of a second on any play. His eyes are constantly moving. On one play he can follow his blocks and spring a 20-yard run and the very next play create his own lane with his vision and pick up 40. At 6'2, 205, McFadden generally chooses to run right by you, but has no problem throwing the forearm shiver and sending a defender haplessly to the ground. I'm not going to go bananas about the fact he throws for touchdowns. He's a running back who has a solid arm and as much credit should go to Houston Nutt and his staff for calling his number to throw when they do. There's a reason he was the Heisman runner up, especially when you consider the level of defense he faces week in-and-out. Better enjoy the country's best college football player this year, 'cause Momma says it's all we'll see of him in Fayetteville. And finally, one of my favorite TV-watching moments came last week when he was on ESPN's First Take. Jay Crawford asks what's on his iPod and he replies simply with "Boosie and Webbie." Jay Crawford didn't know what to say really…but Boosie is what's hot right now. He needs to get with it…WIPE HIM DOWN.
Less than two weeks......