Campus Confidential

By Adam Abramson

Way back in 2003 there was a kid from Audubon, New Jersey who completed 83% of his passes his senior year. That's right, 83%.

The 6'6" kid, who received serious looks from baseball scouts according to his coach, chose the University of Pittsburgh over Rutgers.

That was just the beginning for Joe Flacco, who will likely be a first-day draft pick after a monster combine last weekend.

Flacco, who chose the Panthers largely because of former coach Walt Harris, spent two years hanging out in the city's Shadyside before leaving for the University of Delaware -- a popular landing spot for D-IA (or FBS) transfers. His first year at Pitt was spent with a redshirt, his second was spent behind Tyler Palko on the depth chart. There was no third year.

2005 was spent on the bench because of transfer rules (Flacco was not released from his scholarship in Pittsburgh, so he had to sit out a year, despite dropping down to the FCS). 2006 was a decent campaign, considering it was his first in three years. But 2007 is where he came into his own, leading the Blue Hens to a national title berth, only to fall against powerhouse Appalachian State. He lead the FCS in attempts and yards, while throwing just 5 INTs. Less than one percent of his attempts landed in the hands of a defender.

Flacco has the physical tools. He just needed some stages to display them. In a top-heavy class, Flacco is maybe No. 3 on my board and I don't think it would be crazy to take him in the first round. I only slot Brian Brohm ahead of him. I'd say guys like Matt Ryan and John David Booty are about even.

I'm totally one for taking college competition into consideration (see yesterday's piece about Marcus Monk), but it's not a make-or-break indicator. See Ben Rothleisberger, Tony Romo, David Garrard, Byron Leftwich, Tavaris Jackson, JP Losman, Jeff Garcia, etc.

Flacco didn't have a Sam Baker, Jake Long or Gosder Cherilus protecting his behind. He didn't have a Chauncey Washington, Joe McKnight or Mike Hart to give the ball to. And he certainly wasn't throwing to Mario Manningham, Patrick Turner or Vidal Hazelton. The dude made plays surrounded by talent that won't be making millions of dollars when their college days are over.

Watching his film, I see him throwing with a three-quarter motion on a lot of attempts (something I'm seeing more of). So that's obviously something to keep an eye on. But his passes have great zip and he leads receivers on every kind of route, including that challenging deep-out. He also won the deep ball contest, tossing the ball 74 yards during a skills competition. That's 74% of a football field (61% if you include both end zones).

Flacco can also make some things happen in space and he can move the pocket. He ran a 4.84, but claims he can run faster. You can watch some of his better runs in the video.

I don't know that a GM will jump at the gun to make Flacco their future centerpiece of the franchise, but I do like his chances of succeeding in the league.

Draft this guy early.

Also, draft these guys:
Marcus Monk
Dustin Keller
Jeremy Zuttah
Ryan Mundy
Chevis Jackson