Ryan dazzles NFL scouts at Pro Day

Matt Ryan threw for NFL scouts for the first time this postseason at Boston College's Pro Day last Tuesday. Forty-three representatives from 22 NFL teams and 42 members of the media watched as Ryan and 16 other senior Eagles worked out with three former Eagles and 16 players from Bentley, Harvard, Holy Cross, Northeastern, St. Francis, and UMass.

Ryan threw 52 passes to Jon Loyte, Kevin Challenger, Andre Callender, L.V. Whitworth, and former teammate Tony Gonzalez, three of which were dropped and one was overthrown. He displayed every type of pass needed in the NFL. This exhibition was in shorts, however, with no pass rush or other defense.

"It went well. I showed that I can throw on the run. But [Pro Day] is so atypical of what goes on in football," Matt Ryan said.

Herm Edwards, head coach of Kansas City, said, "I thought he pressed a couple times, trying to throw the ball a little too hard. That's generally what happens with quarterbacks when you get the media there."

Edwards lounged on the turf next to Ryan, while other players went through their running drills, which Ryan had already performed for scouts at the Combine. The two sat talking, but not about football. They discussed their experiences in Philadelphia: the King of Prussia Mall and traffic on the Schuylkill Expressway. "I was just trying to relax him more than anything else," Edwards said. "He'd been waiting around since 10 o'clock. It was to take more pressure off the guy, to just tell him to go out there and throw the ball and have some fun."

Afterward, Ryan said that he did not feel much differently about the draft than he had before throwing. About the media attention, Ryan said, "I see the stud on the bottom line. I watch ESPN and NESN like everyone else. You just can't buy into everything you see scroll across on the bottom line."

Ryan may have received the most attention, but he was not the only one who worked out. William Green, an Eagle from 1999-2001, worked out for scouts in an attempt to get back into the NFL. "I had the opportunity to come out and perform today. My body feels great and I'm in phenomenal shape," Green said.

After slipping at the start of his 40-yard dash, Green looked good in his 42-inch vertical jump and bench press. Green, who got into trouble with the law during his previous stint with the Cleveland Browns, stressed his maturity and accepted responsibility. Green was half of the only pair of Eagles to be drafted in the first round in 2002, the other half was Marc Columbo.

Ryan and Gosder Cherilus are expected to be the second pair to go in the first round. Cherilus worked out at both right and left tackle for the scouts. "Every team needs a right tackle and a left tackle, I can play either," he said. "Whatever team picks me is going to get a player."

Cherilus spoke about the hard work at BC: "It's the way we do things at BC. For five years we've been working hard. I'll be working hard until someone takes me away."

Jamie Silva is another of the top prospects at BC. "I'll work hard and do a lot on special teams and work up to defense," Silva said about his chances to move up through an NFL team. Silva was not a fan of the agility drills. "I'm happy this stuff is over," he said. "I'm looking forward to playing football." He also said, "These guys look at a lot of film. They can compare me against anyone they want."

Now the players have all had an opportunity to show the scouts what they can do. And now, they all just have to wait. On April 26, everyone will know if and where they will get to play in the NFL.

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