Sam Bradford

Young quarterbacks around the NFL are making opponents take notice.

Falcons Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Ryan, who guided Atlanta to an NFC-best 13-3 record last season, is certainly ascending.

The Boston College product has 33 career wins and tied Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO (33) for the most wins by a starting quarterback in his first three seasons among players who began their careers since 1970.

"He's the face of this franchise," says Falcons All-Star tight end TONY GONZALEZ. "He's the future of this franchise. He's going to be one of the best quarterbacks in this league before it's all said and done."

St. Louis Rams quarterback SAM BRADFORD was named the 2010 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by The Associated Press after a record-breaking season.

The No. 1 overall selection in the 2010 NFL Draft set rookie passing records for completions (354) and attempts (590) while totaling 3,512 passing yards -- the second-most by an NFL rookie quarterback (Peyton Manning, 3,739 in 1998) -- and 18 touchdown passes -- tied for the fifth-most by a rookie in league history.

Mark Sanchez, NY Jets

Ryan and Bradford are only two of the many young quarterbacks that are taking the NFL by storm.

Third-year quarterbacks JOSH FREEMAN of Tampa Bay (10-6 record as a starter in 2010), MARK SANCHEZ of the New York Jets (two AFC Championship Game appearances), MATTHEW STAFFORD of Detroit (91.3 passer rating as a starter in 2010) and fourth-year QB JOE FLACCO of Baltimore (32-16 record as a starter) hope to build on their experience going into 2011.

A few of the rising stars at quarterback who were drafted since 2008:

Sam Bradford, St. Louis

"Outside of his physical, God-given capabilities, I think you have a strong leader, someone now that has 16 starts under his belt. I think his capability of being a winner is not a question anymore. Now it's just continuing to grow as a person, and getting some guys around him that are going to help not only take their games, but his game to another level."

St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson

Joe Flacco, Baltimore

"I've watched a lot of film on Joe Flacco over the last three years and I know this, you can probably go around and ask most of the quarterbacks in the NFL, 'Would you like to have a career start like Flacco has had?' And almost everybody would go, 'Absolutely.'"

Former NFL quarterback Phil Simms

Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay

"I think it's time to start talking about this guy as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league. His track record sort of speaks for itself at this point in his career. He wants to be great. He's so calm and so collected that nothing fazes him. I think that's part of the package that makes him a great player and we're really just starting to see what he's capable of."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Ronde Barber

Matt Ryan, Atlanta

"Matt Ryan is probably the most competitive quarterback that I have ever been around. He's as tough as nails. He has a great skill set not only physically, but mentally."

Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith

Mark Sanchez, NY Jets

"The sky is the limit for this guy. He's a guy who is constantly getting better, and he plays his best football in the most critical situations.That's what you want in your quarterback, meaning if you're down in the fourth quarter, he can put a drive together to go up and win the game. He seems to play his best football at those times. That's all you can ask from a guy who is at the quarterback position."

New York Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson

Matthew Stafford, Detroit

"He's one of those guys that even when he was hurt, he took the reigns and still helped our other quarterbacks. He wants the best for the team. He definitely has those intangibles that allow us to do more in our offensive package."

Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh

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