Ryan Will Get Chance to Sink or Swim From Week One

With the start of the 2008 NFL season bearing down on us, football card collectors got an interesting piece of news when the Atlanta Falcons announced Sunday that Matt Ryan will start at quarterback immediately. The No. 3 overall pick will have his hands full on a team that is in definite rebuilding mode, but he'll at least have some intriguing pieces to work with in running backs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood and emerging wide receiver Roddy White.

Highly drafted quarterbacks don't always fare too well in the long term if they're thrown into the fire right away - for every Peyton Manning, there's at least one Ryan Leaf - but in the short term, the visibility Ryan receives by becoming the new face of the franchise should do good things for his rookie cards. Certainly, I feel good about naming him the No. 2 rookie to collect in 2008 behind Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden.

Speaking of top newcomers and their cards, there's a pair of rookie runners who didn't make my list but are players to watch nonetheless because of the opportunity for early playing time. The Bears' Matt Forte has a chance to be the consistent, move-the-chains type of back Chicago thought it had a few years ago in Cedric Benson. And Kevin Smith of the Lions could be the answer to restoring balance to the Detroit offense in the post-Mike Martz era. Hold on to any Forte and Smith rookie cards you come across and see if they get the same early chance to shine that Ryan is getting in Atlanta.

Related link:

• Top 10 NFL Rookies to Collect in 2008