But, let's go ahead and get the draft started. The Indianapolis Colts are on the clock:
Team: Indianapolis Colts
GM: IMadeThisNameRightAfterWeDraftedReshadJones
And the pick is in:
With the first overall selection in the 2012 Phinsider NFL Mock Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select:
Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford Cardinal
Height: 6'4", Weight: 234 lbs.
From IMadeThisNameRightAfterWeDraftedReshadJones:
Talk about a no-brainer. After 14 seasons with Peyton Manning, during which time the Colts won seven division championships, two AFC titles, and a Super Bowl, fans in Indianapolis get to see their quarterback replaced with the consensus best college prospect since Manning himself. The Colts couldn't have picked a better year to go 2-14 and net themselves the first overall pick.Luck finished his career at Stanford with a 67% completion rate, 82-22 touchdown-to-interception ratio, and a quarterback rating of 162.8. In his three years as the starter, Luck's lowest completion percentage was 57% (first year starting), and highest number of interceptions was 10 (2011 season, during which he threw 37 touchdowns). Luck will leave Stanford as the school's all-time leader in career touchdown passes (82), touchdown passes in a season (37), career total offense (10,387), wins by a starting quarterback (31), and career winning percentage by a starting quarterback (.816). Additionally, Luck holds Pac-12 records for career passer efficiency (162.8), career completion percentage (67%), and completion percentage in a season (71.2%). He also was a back-to-back runner up for the Heisman trophy, losing out to flashier quarterbacks Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III.Evaluations of Luck have noted his prototypical size for the position (6'4, 234lb), strong arm, mobility in the pocket, and excellent accuracy. However, the attributes that truly set him apart as a once-in-a-decade prospect are his mature poise in the pocket, extremely refined ability to read defenses, and his capability of handling tremendous responsibility at the line of scrimmage. Stanford has been known to consistently call several plays at once under Luck, leaving the quarterback to read the defense and make the necessary adjustments and play calls himself. Luck brings the cerebral approach to quarterbacking that Indianapolis fans have become all too familiar with, and are hungry to continue to see. Luck's mastery of football understanding, tremendous accuracy, and control of the pocket all draw comparisons to #18, but Luck also brings mobility and athleticism to the position as well; Luck's Combine numbers shocked some evaluators with their comparability to those posted by Cam Newton a year before. All of these aspects put together make Luck a shockingly NFL-ready prospect, a quarterback that can take over a team from day 1 and still have high expectations for his rookie season.With Andrew Luck, the Colts are getting the best college prospect to replace Peyton Manning that anyone could have offered them.
From Walter Football:
Projected Round (2012): First Overall Pick.
3/5/12: Luck is a lock to go to the Indianapolis Colts with the first-overall pick in the draft. He had a strong Combine and showed off underrated athleticism. Luck is one of the safest quarterback prospects to enter the NFL over the past few decades. Many believe he is the best quarterback prospect since Peyton Manning or John Elway.
Luck had a standout season, completing 71 percent of his passes for 3,517 yards with 37 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Three of his interceptions came on tipped passes. He showed good mobility this year and was extremely accurate throwing on the run. The cerebral signal caller took over a lot of the play calling for the Cardinal and had fabulous decision-making. Luck also made a one-handed 13-yard catch this season. He has a good arm with excellent accuracy. Making Luck's performance even more impressive is he didn't have a good stable of receivers to work with.
During the regular season, Luck led Stanford to a comeback, signature, triple-overtime win at USC. He showed leadership, fire and bounce-back ability in the game. Luck played well in his Bowl game against Oklahoma State and if it wasn't for some missed field goals, he would have led his team to a victory.
8/18/11: Andrew Luck probably would have been the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft if he had chosen to leave college. Right now, he is the clear favorite to be the top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Many NFL scouts feel that Luck is one of the most pro-ready quarterback prospects over the past decade. Luck will be challenged to meet expectations for this season, but Stanford has talent around him so it won't be a one-man show.
Stanford enters the season ranked sixth overall in the coaches poll. Only Oregon ranks ahead of the Cardinal from the PAC-12. Thus, Luck will enter the season with a target on his jersey. Last year, he completed an amazing 71 percent of his passes as a sophomore. Luck threw for 32 touchdowns with only eight interceptions. He also ran for 453 yards and three scores. Luck showed massive improvement compared to the previous season. In his first year as a starter in 2009, Luck threw for 2,575 yards and 13 touchdowns with four interceptions. He completed 56 percent of his passes and ran for 354 yards and two touchdowns.
Luck is a complete package. He has the size, arm strength and mechanics to be a lethal pocket passer. Luck also has good mobility, a seven yards per carry average in his career, and escapability when he sees a rush. His footwork is phenomenal and he clearly is well-groomed by former head coach Jim Harbaugh. Luck is extremely intelligent. As a result, some question his competitive drive because he is described as somewhat nerdy and focused on his academics, but Luck is a winner and a hard worker that looks like a very safe pick at the top of the draft.
The Washington Redskins are on the clock.