Labeling the quarterbacks at the top of this year's draft class isn't difficult.

Boston College's Matt Ryan is the cream of the crop. Delaware's Joe Flacco is the guy whose value has skyrocketed despite his lack of big-school experience. Michigan's Chad Henne is considered a tough-as-nails performer whose stock is climbing. And Louisville's Brian Brohm has gone from hotshot to also-ran.

What isn't easy is projecting where any of the group will be selected in this weekend's NFL draft.

The past three years have held surprises as quarterbacks plunged — Aaron Rodgers' free-fall stopped when Green Bay took him at No 24 in 2005; Matt Leinart had to wait until Arizona selected him 10th in 2006; and last year Brady Quinn didn't go until Cleveland traded to get him at No. 22. But it's also been a sure bet that a player at that position would go in the top three.

In fact, a quarterback has been taken in the top three in the past seven drafts, and in six of those years a signal-caller went No. 1 overall. The latest was LSU's JaMarcus Russell, taken by Oakland last year. The last time a quarterback wasn't in the top three was in 2000, when the Jets took Chad Pennington at No. 18.

"I would guess this is probably a fairly pedestrian class in the quarterback world," said ESPN's Floyd Reese, who was Tennessee's general manager when the Titans took Vince Young at No. 3 in 2006.

While there is universal agreement Ryan will be the first quarterback off the board, there have been plenty of differing views about where he will end up.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock called this "not a good quarterback class (overall) with a lot more questions than answers." But he said Ryan, Flacco and Henne "could potentially be the type of quarterbacks to win games in the NFL at a high level."

Mayock is especially sold on Ryan, who led Boston College to an 11-3 record as a senior and threw for 249 yards and three TDs in a 24-21 victory over Michigan State in the Champs Sports Bowl.

"I think Matt Ryan is a true franchise quarterback," Mayock said. "I have a dual impression (of him). First is what you can see on tape. You see a quarterback with a very good arm, good feet, an understanding of the position and a player who knows when and where to throw the football.

"What you don't see — which I think may be more important today, especially with the dollars spent at the top end of the draft — is a work ethic that parallels that of Peyton Manning and a toughness and leadership that very few quarterbacks have."

Ryan, who is 6-4 and 221 pounds, finished last season with 4,507 yards passing (he completed 388 of 654 attempts) with 31 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. Despite the number of passes he threw, the interception didn't sit well with some. His arm strength and mobility also have been questioned and a pedestrian performance before 23 NFL teams at his Pro Day might not have helped.

"As a quarterback, you never want to turn the football over," Ryan said. "But when you're aggressive with the football sometimes mistakes are going to happen. ... At the same time we scored a lot of points and we were competitive and won a lot of games. Ultimately, I think that wins are the most important stat. But there is 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."

Reese agrees with Mayock that Ryan must be judged by more than the on-the-field scouting report.

"People are going to maybe not get as excited about Matt because he doesn't possess some of the super-duper physical attributes that we've seen in the last couple of years," Reese said. "When Vince came out, whether or not you liked his throwing motion, as a specimen he was awesome. Last year, you look at JaMarcus Russell and whether or not you liked his motion or accuracy, physically he was impressive. Matt is not necessarily that.

"But the most important part of being a successful quarterback in this league (hinges) on a lot of other things. It's also intangibles and leadership and competitiveness, and I think that's where Matt does excel. If you're going to get excited about Matt, get excited for those reasons."

Though Rick Spielman, Vikings vice president of player personnel, attended Boston College's Pro Day in late March, Minnesota has no chance at Ryan (it drafts No. 17 overall) and no real interest (Tarvaris Jackson is the starter). However, there was a point when Flacco's name was mentioned in relation to the Vikings.

Some now think a team might attempt to trade into the first round to take the 6-6, 232-pound QB with a cannon arm. This doesn't mean the Vikings won't use one of their nine picks on a developmental quarterback who could challenge veteran Brooks Bollinger for the No. 3 job.

The team tried to do that last year with seventh-round pick Tyler Thigpen but lost him to Kansas City at the end of training camp when he was claimed off waivers. Mayock's list of intriguing late-round quarterbacks include Tennessee's Erik Ainge and Tulsa's Paul Smith, who has drawn comparisons to Jeff Garcia.

The key for the Vikings would be finding someone who could fit into the team's West Coast system. "I know what Coach Childress is looking for in his quarterback, and that's our job, to understand what the coaches want," Spielman said. "There's some quarterbacks that might fit well in the West Coast, and some, that may be better in some schemes than others."