Harvey, Connor outshine Ryan during Pro Day panorama

Days like Tuesday are why NFL teams employ robust scouting departments.

With Boston College, Boise State, Florida, Georgia, Penn State and Virginia all holding their Pro Days, scouts were spread across the country. While much of the focus was on Matt Ryan and the BC workout, the more impressive performances came from Florida and Penn State.

Derrick Harvey has the pros excited with his pass-rushing tools. (Getty Images)

With significantly fewer Gators likely to be drafted this year than in recent seasons, only an estimated 15 teams attended Florida's Pro Day. Most who attended were there to see defensive end Derrick Harvey.

Harvey, who declined to run and lift Tuesday after solid performances in both tests at the combine, nonetheless left scouts buzzing with his performance.

The 6-foot-4½ 269-pounder showed great burst in pass rush drills and enough agility that scouts from teams utilizing the 3-4 alignment have already begun scheduling private workouts with Harvey. The Jets, owners of the sixth overall pick, have lined up a workout, and the Patriots (seventh overall because of a trade last April with San Francisco) are thought to be considering doing so as well.

While Harvey's burst makes him an intriguing fit as a 3-4 rush linebacker, his size, strength and long arms (82-inch wingspan) have most teams still viewing him as a better fit as a traditional 4-3 defensive end. The Detroit Lions, who have the 15th overall pick, have already scheduled a private workout with Harvey.

But they might not get the chance to draft him. Carolina, which has the 13th overall pick, is apparently quite interested in the SEC star. The Panthers were the most heavily represented team at the Florida Pro Day: coach John Fox, defensive coordinator Mike Trgovac and defensive line coach Sal Sunseri.

Like Ryan, Penn State's Dan Connor elected not to work out at the combine, instead saving his audition in front of scouts for Tuesday's Pro Day. Considering his performance, it is hard to fault his decision.

The 6-2, 231-pound Connor was clocked by scouts in the mid- to high-4.6s in the 40-yard dash. His 40 time, three-cone drill (6.76), vertical jump (35 inches) and 22 repetitions of 225 pounds rank among the elite scores of inside linebackers tested this year.

When asked to grade his own performance on a scale of 1-10, the Bednarik Award winner characterized the performance as a "13."

Pittsburgh was heavily represented at the workout, with coach Mike Tomlin on hand. Other teams thought to be considering Connor had strong representation at the workout, as well, including Philadelphia, Detroit and Arizona.

As impressive as Connor and Harvey were, the workout most are focusing on occurred later in the day in Boston.

Twenty-two teams were on hand to watch quarterback Matt Ryan and the rest of Boston College's draft eligible players work out. The Chiefs were especially well represented, with general manager Carl Peterson, coach Herm Edwards, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey and quarterback coach Dick Curl all taking in the workout. The Chiefs own the fifth pick of the draft and might have enough concerns about Brodie Croyle as their starting quarterback to consider Ryan.

Among other notable attendants in Boston were Atlanta director of college scouting Phil Emery and director of player personnel Les Snead, Baltimore director of college scouting Eric DeCosta, Carolina general manager Marty Hurney and Minnesota vice president of player personnel Rick Spielman. Atlanta (picking third overall), Baltimore (eighth), Carolina (13th) and Minnesota (17th) are thought to be among the teams most likely to draft a quarterback early.

Miami, which owns the first overall pick, was represented with director of college scouting Chris Grier and quarterback coach David Lee. Executive vice president Bill Parcells and coach Tony Sparano were conspicuous in their absence.

All in all scouts in attendance left pleased with Ryan's performance, but not necessarily wowed. Characterized by Herm Edwards as "pressing," Ryan wasn't as accurate Tuesday as scouts expected. The ACC's Offensive Player of the Year completed 48 of 52 passes, with three drops and only one misfire, but his ball placement was only marginal at times, forcing receivers to contort their bodies to make the grab. He showed the ability to make every throw, but his lack of a monster arm and only marginal overall athleticism was apparent when throwing during rollouts.

Rob Rang is a senior analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, distributed by The Sports Xchange.