Afterward, Blank, general manager Thomas Dimitroff, coach Mike Smith and offensive coordinator Mike Mularky took Ryan to dinner at Capitol Grille.

Ryan's primary emotion after that experience?

"Matt said he felt sorry for Arthur Blank," his father, Mike Ryan, said yesterday after the Falcons used the third pick in the draft on Ryan, a quarterback and Exton, Chester County, native who went to Penn Charter and then to Boston College.

"I think it's because in his discussions with Arthur Blank, Mr. Blank had expressed that he felt entirely responsible, personally responsible, for all of the things that had taken place with the Falcons. That impressed the kid unbelievably."

A year ago on the stage Ryan crossed yesterday to shake commissioner Roger Goodell's hand and display a Falcons jersey, Michael Vick stood with a few fellow Virginia Tech alums. Vick insisted on draft weekend 2007 that he had no part in an alleged dogfighting ring, even though evidence had been found on his property in Virginia.

Now Vick sits in a prison in Kansas serving a 23-month sentence, and Ryan, a 22-year-old who grew up an Eagles fan, is the new face of the Falcons franchise, one that has had a string of embarrassing, disruptive events unlike any other team in recent memory. It's a daunting task for Ryan, but one from which he didn't shy away. He embraced it, wanted it, and loved it when his name was called earlier than many people expected.

"For me, it's all about going down and working as hard as I possibly can," Ryan said, "making sure that I earn the respect of my teammates and just doing everything that I possibly can to try and get on the field next year. So that's what I'm going to focus on, and that's how I'm going to approach this process leading up to the season.

In a first round that started at 3 p.m. and stretched over a mere 3 hours, 30 minutes thanks to a new 10-minute time limit between selections, only two quarterbacks were taken - Ryan, and Delaware's Joe Flacco. There were eight offensive tackles picked in the first round, including the top overall pick, Jake Long from Michigan, and Pittsburgh's Jeff Otah, who went in the 19th spot that the Eagles traded to Carolina for a first-round pick next season and two later picks in this year's draft.

Not a single wide receiver was picked in the first round. The first to come off the board was Houston's Donnie Avery, who went to St. Louis with the 33d overall pick, followed by Michigan State's Devin Thomas, who went to Washington one pick later.

Flacco, a 6-foot-6, 232-pound quarterback from Audubon, Camden County, who played at Pittsburgh before transferring to Delaware, was projected as a possible late first-rounder. Baltimore had tried to trade up to No. 2 to get Ryan, but after St. Louis nixed that, the Ravens traded down from No. 8 to No. 26. Then, probably fearing that Flacco, who threw for 4,263 yards last season and has great size, would be gone by the time they picked, the Ravens traded up to 18.

Flacco said he was "surprised that it was so fast."

"I saw that they traded from 26," he added. "I thought they liked me from the interview. I was surprised they traded up to get me."

Some were surprised that the Falcons used the third pick on Ryan. After the Falcons hired Dimitroff as general manager and Smith as coach, each man said he planned on rebuilding the Falcons from inside out. They have serious needs along both lines, so the prevailing thought was they would select Louisiana State defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey.

When the Falcons opted for Ryan instead, the immediate reaction from fans who posted comments on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Web site was akin to how some boisterous Eagles fans felt about Donovan McNabb. Not good.

If Ryan had any clue about that reaction, he brushed it off with grace and ease, just as he brushed aside any comparisons with the man he will replace, Vick.

"I don't run very well," Ryan said. "I don't know if it's necessary to draw comparisons."

Ryan is not a scrambler. He is a pocket passer if there ever was one. During his senior season, he was in serious contention for the Heisman Trophy until the Golden Eagles dropped three of their last five regular-season games. Even so, Ryan earned ACC player of the year honors and threw for more than 4,500 yards.

Ryan's biggest task, however, is in front of him.

"It's not Iowa, for sure," Mike Ryan said. "It's a very complicated city. They've had a fairly complicated series of activities, none for the good. But I think as a result of a couple lengthy discussions Matt's had with Mr. Blank, he feels very good about Atlanta as a place where the possibility . . . for a quarterback to have a long career is there."