Carolina Panthers Will Draft Andrew Luck No. 1 Overall... If He Is There

Breaking News: The Carolina Panthers are not as dumb as many think.

The Panthers "won" the advantage of having the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by losing 14 games this season. Congratulations are in order. The good news for Panther fans is that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck looks like a can't-miss prospect. The bad news is that Luck is only a redshirt sophomore and has two years eligibility remaining. Cue the suspense...

Word has come down the pike from ESPN.com tonight that, wait for it... Carolina will draft Luck if he declares for the draft.

*Crickets*

Really? A more surprising headline would have been "There Will Be an NFL Draft."

The Carolina Panthers cannot pass on Andrew Luck in the same way the St. Louis Rams could not pass on Sam Bradford last year.

Franchise quarterbacks are few and far between. Ask the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns what they would give to have a shot at Luck—or Bradford last year.

When presented with an opportunity to draft a quarterback the caliber of Luck—whom many have called the best quarterback prospect ever—you do not hesitate. You do not even pick up the phone to listen to trade offers. You pull the trigger.

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson made the decision to fire long-time head coach Jim Fox last week. Do you think the news tonight concerning Luck has anything to do with spreading some good cheer around the office? We do. Do you also think it has a lot to do with the fact that Andrew Luck played his last game of the season last night?

Not only does this put the focus in Charlotte on the NFL Draft, it lets Andrew Luck know that should he leave the comfort of Palo Alto he will be the unquestioned No. 1 overall pick.

And with that we would like to thank you, ESPN, Jerry Richardson and the Carolina Panthers, for stating the obvious. The best player in the draft will once again be taken first overall.