GREEN BAY -- During their time working together as assistant coaches with the Philadelphia Eagles, John Harbaugh and Brad Childress would sometimes find themselves watching Catholic League prep football on Friday nights, when their schedules allowed.

Childress, now the Minnesota Vikings' coach, and Harbaugh, beginning his first year as the Baltimore Ravens' coach, still remember this one kid, a quarterback for the William Penn Charter School. Three-year starter from 2000 through '02. Competitive as all get-out. Stud multi-sport athlete.

His name? Matt Ryan.

"I followed Matt growing up in Philadelphia. He's an incredible competitor. For that reason, he'll be a success in the NFL," said Harbaugh, whose Ravens figure to draft the former Boston College quarterback at No. 8 overall in the first round of next Saturday's NFL draft if Ryan is still on the board.

"(Ryan) finds a way to win in the fourth quarter. He's a big-time competitor. He's an accurate passer, he's big, he can scramble. He's smart. He gives his receivers a chance. He's going to be a really good quarterback in this league."

Said Childress: "Smart guy, all the intangibles. Arm-wise I wouldn't say he has a buggy-whip arm, but he's a very anticipatory thrower and a lot of times it's more important to throw early than to throw hard."

And in a somewhat lackluster draft for quarterbacks, Ryan is as good as it gets. The question, of course, is how good Ryan will get.

Although he threw for a school- and Atlantic Coast Conference-record 4,507 yards (plus 31 touchdowns) last season for the Eagles, and went 25-7 as a starter, he also threw 19 interceptions last season, a red flag about his decision-making to some.

Early speculation had the Miami Dolphins, who own the No. 1 overall pick, taking Ryan. But the Dolphins are negotiating with Michigan tackle Jake Long, so Atlanta (No. 3), Kansas City (No. 5) and Baltimore, which has only Kyle Boller and Troy Smith following 13-year veteran Steve McNair's retirement Thursday.

"(Ryan) is a good quarterback," said Kansas City Chiefs coach Herm Edwards, who has thoroughly studied Ryan. "I think he understands the game, has a good arm to make the throws. He has good awareness in the pocket. But he's thrown some interceptions.

"Some of that is due to guys who have missed catches, and maybe him trying to throw into some windows he shouldn't have thrown them in, but for the most part, he has the ability to move the football team.''

Ryan played in a pro-style offense for former Green Bay Packers assistant Jeff Jagodzinski last season, which Edwards said makes Ryan more NFL-ready than the quarterbacks who play in college football's increasingly popular spread offenses.

"I think it definitely helps prepare you to make the transition from college to the NFL," Ryan said of playing for Jagodzinski. "Even more so than the Xs and Os, he gives you an idea of what to expect in terms of preparation and how you should prepare, how to break down each day of the week, what you should be looking at in terms of film study."

As for the interceptions, Ryan said, "As a quarterback, you never want to turn the football over. We did that a good amount this year, but when you're aggressive with the football sometimes mistakes are going to happen. Ultimately, I think that wins are the most significant stat. But no question about it. I've got to work on that, improve, turn the ball over less if you want to be a successful quarterback in the NFL."

After Ryan, Louisville's Brian Brohm, Michigan's Chad Henne, Delaware's Joe Flacco and Kentucky's Andre Woodson are next on the board, but one intriguing name is San Diego's Josh Johnson, who threw an astonishing 43 touchdowns and just one interception at the Football Championship Subdivision level last year. His interception?

"It was a scramble play, and I was rolling out. I kind of threw it slightly across my body," said Johnson, the MVP of the East-West Shrine Game. "It kind of ricocheted off the tight end's chest up in the air and (the defender) caught it."

Johnson might not go until Day 2 of the draft, and while he doesn't have Ryan's pedigree, he'll get his shot.

"You've got to take all of it into account -- (43) touchdowns and one interception, that's hard to do," Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said. "Then you watch the East-West game and watch him run around and make plays. A lot of these guys came out of small schools. He's going to play in the league. I'm convinced of that."

QUICK READ: QBS

THE TOP FIVE

Matt Ryan, Boston College (6-4 3⁄4, 228 pounds, 4.94 seconds in the 40-yard dash): Intelligent, hard-working thrower with mental and physical toughness and intense competitive streak. However, 19 interceptions as a senior call into question his decision-making ability.

Brian Brohm, Louisville (6-2 7⁄8, 230, 4.85): Experienced player who threw for 4,024 yards and 30 TDs as a senior last year but has had durability issues that could dog him in the NFL because of limited mobility.

Chad Henne, Michigan (6-27⁄8, 230, 4.94): Four-year starter who finished his college career as the Wolverines' all-time leading passer. Excellent leadership and character but was inconsistent with accuracy.

Joe Flacco, Delaware (6-63⁄8, 236, 4.85): Transferred from Pittsburgh to get more playing time and lit up Division I-AA. Excellent size and a strong arm. Helped himself at the Senior Bowl, but success against lower-level collegiate competition is an issue.

Andre Woodson, Kentucky (6-4, 229, 4.88): Good size and arm strength, and decision-making was solid (set NCAA record with 325 straight passes without an INT) but long throwing motion is an issue.

THE PACKERS' PERSPECTIVE

As life after Brett Favre begins, the Packers have 2005 first-round pick Aaron Rodgers set to go as their starter. Beyond him, though, there's only youngsters Jerry Babb and Dalton Bell on the roster, and neither is a realistic No. 3 option at this point, much less a top backup. After not signing Gus Frerotte and Quinn Gray in free agency, the Packers could re-sign Craig Nall, or trade for a backup (Tampa Bay's Chris Simms would make sense).

It's a safe bet GM Ted Thompson will pick a quarterback at some point, although it seems unlikely to happen on Day 1, when the Packers pick 30th, 56th and 60th. There should be some interesting options at QB after that, however, including intriguing players such as Tennessee's Erik Ainge, San Diego's Josh Johnson and Oregon's Dennis Dixon.