Posted by ESPN.com's James Walker
ESPN.com's John Clayton brought up an interesting point on the amount of money at stake today for former Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.
The difference between Ryan going No. 3 to the Atlanta Falcons and No. 8 to the Baltimore Ravens could be the difference of $8-$10 million in guaranteed money, Clayton points out. That's the hefty price to pay for falling just five spots.
But Baltimore would be a much better situation for Ryan than Atlanta. The Ravens have the same core group from a team that went 13-3 two years ago.
Ryan would have a solid running back in Willis McGahee, a good tight end in Todd Heap, veteran receiver Derrick Mason and a defense that can force turnovers and get the ball back in his hands.
Ryan has just as good a chance to win the job in Baltimore as he does in Atlanta, and it would be for a team with more quality pieces in place. Even if Ryan couldn't win the job right away, Baltimore quarterback Kyle Boller is in the final year of his contract, opening the door for Ryan in 2009.
