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The 2008 draft without a doubt has a clear cut number 1 quarterback heading in with that being BC quarterback Matt Ryan but does it have a clear cut number 2? With Ryan ahead of the pack we look at Louisville quarterback Brian Brohm and Delaware quarterback Joe Flacco as the clear cut frontrunners. While they both have unique last names they also have unique attributes and we will compare them both in the newest addition of PFC’s rookie battles.

Speed

Lets face it a NFL team that is going to draft a quarterback as high as these two may go, will also need some sort of offensive line help. With help at the offensive line that may mean that a fast quarterback is almost essential with getting out of the pocket. Neither of these two have great speed if any speed at all out of the pocket. A huge drawback with both of these players is not even the slowest defensive ends would have an issue getting to them. I do however would have to give Brohm the edge here due to putting up a fight when he is tackled and sometimes does break a few tackles. Joe Flacco on the other hand definitely needs to improve on shedding tackles because is college it looked like he just gave up on the majority of the tackles and went down.

Arm Strength

Both quarterbacks have a pretty good knack with arm strength, however for the arm strength advantage; I’m going to have to go with Joe Flacco on this one. Flacco can straight out gun the ball downfield and has done a very good job completing the pass beyond the 20 yard mark with ease while Brohm definitely struggles with the deep ball at times and hasn’t shown as much consistency affecting his deep ball passing. When the game is on the line and your team is going to have to throw a hail mary to win it you definitely will want an accurate deep ball passer on your team.

Accuracy

The accuracy category really is a very close one to call but I will give this one to Brohm. Flacco definitely does a good job with his accuracy but doesn’t do a good job with his pocket instincts and reading defenses as well as Brohm. Brohm is a student of the game when it comes to reading defenses and making good decisions on the fly.

Leadership

One of the most important things an NFL team will look at for a quarterback is can he lead a team? I without a doubt think Joe Flacco gets the nod at this category. At Delaware he did everything there was to do to establish yourself as a great leader at the quarterback position. A huge downside for Brohm is that he has done the complete opposite, at times he has been very quiet and when opportunities presented itself for him to be a leader he didn’t rise to the occasion as much as some expected him to do.

Injuries
This category is also another category that NFL teams study when they evaluate a quarterback. No team will ever want to draft a quarterback who is injury prone with the fear of getting no return on there investment. For this category the nod will have to go to Joe Flacco. Get this; Flacco has never missed any practices or game time due to injury, which is simply amazing. Brohm on the other hand has had 2 surgeries in the past three years with repairing a torn ACL in 2005 and just surgery down on his none throwing shoulder in 2005.

Reading the Defense

Reading a defense in the NFL will separate you from having 12 touchdowns or 12 interceptions. Brian Brohm may be possibly the best quarterback in this draft at reading defenses. He does a tremendous job at audibling at the line and has a pretty good result with his decision making. Flacco as I said earlier definitely needs to improve at making better decisions in the pocket.
With the ratings the way they are, I would in a close call, have to give the nod Brian Brohm  as the better overall quarterback heading into the draft. His accuracy and his ability to read defenses definitely gave him the nod over Flacco. In order to improve Brohm definitely has to improve his leadership skills, stay healthy, his durability and his deep ball skills. In order for Flacco to succeed in the NFL he will have to improve his ability to shed tackles, his durability, his decision making and become a better student at reading defenses.