"As far as a tipping point, (it was) us considering the value of that position and the need that we had. But most importantly we decided that with the skill set Matt Ryan possessed, along with his intelligence and leadership ability, we were excited about going in that direction."
— Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff on April 26, 2008, after making Ryan the No. 3 pick
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It has been nine years, but Mike Mularkey still recalls the anxiety. Draft weekend was coming. His Falcons had the No. 3 pick. He knew what he wanted but wasn't certain he would get it.
The top of that 2008 draft board — solid but not spectacular — featured a quintet of players in the conversation to be taken first. Virginia defensive end Chris Long, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey and Arkansas running back Darren McFadden all had game-changing talents.
Mularkey, though, wanted Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan. Badly.
The best player at the most important position? How could the Falcons pass?
Still, Mularkey was only the offensive coordinator at the time. He was working for a rookie head coach (Mike Smith) who was working under a rookie general manager (Dimitroff) whose director of college scouting, David Caldwell, was also in his first year in that role. So even as the Falcons completed their exhaustive pre-draft research, Mularkey had jitters.
"I was hoping we were going to make the right decision," he recalled last month.
To be clear, Mularkey's biggest fear wasn't that the Dolphins or Rams would snatch Ryan with either of the top two picks.
"I was worried we weren't going to pick Matt if he was there," he said.
But then came that April Saturday afternoon with Commissioner Roger Goodell standing at a Radio City Music Hall lectern and announcing Jake Long as the No. 1 pick, then handing Chris Long his Rams jersey at No. 2. In Atlanta, when the moment of truth arrived, Dimitroff fulfilled Mularkey's wish.
Questions about Ryan's arm strength? Cast aside. Worries about the 19 interceptions he threw as a Boston College senior? Forget it.
Ryan's size, intelligence, competitiveness and toughness were too good to bypass. The Falcons pulled the trigger and have never regretted it.
Emerging from a pro-style offense at BC, Ryan started from Week 1, earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors and spearheaded an immediate turnaround that took the Falcons from 4-12 to 11-5.
Nine years later, he has been named to four Pro Bowls and taken the Falcons to the playoffs five times. Last season, Ryan directed the league's most explosive offense, won MVP honors and propelled the Falcons to the Super Bowl.
That return on investment, it would seem, has been more than satisfactory. And somewhere therein lies an important case study for Bears general manager Ryan Pace on how to nail the No. 3 pick.
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In so many ways, this week's draft will prove pivotal for Pace and the Bears. The surest way to accelerate a return to playoff contention is with a special draft. And the best way to catalyze a special draft is by landing an elite playmaker at No. 3.
Big-time difference-makers can almost always be found at the top of every draft. Here's a sampling of stars selected between third and 10th in the 21st century: Brian Urlacher, LaDainian Tomlinson, Andre Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, Adrian Peterson, Eric Berry, Patrick Peterson, Julio Jones, Luke Kuechly, Khalil Mack.
That's a collection of 10 players with a combined 58 Pro Bowl trips (and counting) and, in many cases, a direct line to the bust sculptors in Canton, Ohio. So, yes, it's conceivable Pace and the Bears could exit draft weekend with a superstar to build around.
Still, it would be misguided to believe picking third is a hard-to-blow scenario. Too many recent examples say otherwise.
Four years ago, the Dolphins believed Dion Jordan's quickness and versatility would turn him into a dynamic defensive playmaker. Instead, Jordan's four seasons in Miami included as many performance-enhancing drug suspensions (three) as sacks. He was released last month.
In 2012, the Browns believed so deeply in Trent Richardson's power and explosiveness that they gave up three additional picks to slide up only one slot — from No. 4 to No. 3 — to select the Alabama running back. That investment netted the Browns only 1,055 rushing yards and 17 games from Richardson before they traded him early in his second season. Richardson's last NFL carry came in 2014.
Other disappointing players selected third include Tyson Jackson, Vince Young and Bruce Pickens.
For every Ryan, it seems, there's an Akili Smith. For every Simeon Rice, there's an Andre Wadsworth.
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Since January, Pace has openly acknowledged his weighty responsibility. Still, picking third gives the Bears license to dream. Whether it's a quarterback or a defensive back or a defensive lineman, the Bears have to hope their comprehensive examination of this class will point them to a player who can become an impact starter for a decade or longer.
Ask Dimitroff what sold him on Ryan in 2008, and he quickly cites the quarterback's feel for the game. Before landing in Atlanta, Dimitroff spent six seasons with the Patriots. In Ryan, he saw Tom Brady-esque qualities in the ways the young quarterback creatively moved and ad-libbed in the pocket.
In the nine years since, Dimitroff has also developed a profound appreciation for how much Ryan grew into his role as the face of the franchise.
"I've said this all along: Matt Ryan has a very keen awareness of being an incremental leader," Dimitroff said. "And over the years he's continued to get more savvy and has expressed himself more as a leader.
"He didn't do that in his first year, thumping his chest like he knew it all. He continued to grow, and now he's the exact leader we are looking for."
Mularkey thinks back to that 2008 draft, and in a quarterback class that also included Joe Flacco, Brian Brohm, Chad Henne, John David Booty and Josh Johnson, Ryan's ability to articulate offensive concepts jumped out.
Then, Mularkey said, he was instantly struck by Ryan's natural command in the huddle.
"It's got to sound like it's the best play ever called by a quarterback and it's going to work," Mularkey said.
The first time Mularkey heard Ryan in that capacity, the quarterback's presence "sent a shiver down my spine."
"As soon as he stepped in the huddle," Mularkey said, "I knew we had something special."
That's exactly the belief a top-five pick is supposed to produce in the players and coaches around him. It's the feeling Pace and the Bears are hoping to attain. They will be on the clock Thursday night, blessed with that No. 3 pick yet aware of the intense pressure to get it right.
