2012 NFL Draft Projections: First 5 QBs Who Will Be Selected

This time last month, the 2012 NFL draft class was filled to the brim with talented quarterbacks.

Then Matt Barkley and Landry Jones decided to go back to school, leaving the amount of talented QBs in the 2012 draft class well short of the brim.

Not much we can do about that, I'm afraid. We'll be able to do even less on draft day. The only thing to do will be to sit back and watch.

But for now, I have a few educated guesses as far as which quarterbacks will come off the board first in the 2012 draft.

Expect these five quarterbacks to come off the board before anyone else.

1. Andrew Luck, Stanford

Bets don't get much surer than this. Andrew Luck is as much a lock to be the first QB taken in the 2012 draft as The Devil Inside was to be a crappy movie.

The Indianapolis Colts haven't come out and promised to take Luck with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, but all signs point towards them doing just that. Just yesterday, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that Colts owner Jim Irsay has it in mind to take Luck with the first overall pick.

Irsay himself shot the idea down on Twitter, saying a "long,disciplined process of evaluation" is needed before you can decide to pick a quarterback first overall.

You don't need a long, disciplined process to determine that Luck is the cream of this year's quarterback crop. All you need are a few highlight reels and your own two eyes.

Projection: No. 1 overall pick

2. Robert Griffin III, Baylor

Robert Griffin III was less of a lock to be the second quarterback taken in the draft when Matt Barkley and Landry Jones were still in the mix. But now that they're out, teams looking to draft a quarterback in the first round don't have any better options than RG3.

Whoever ends up with RG3 is going to be very pleased. Quarterbacks with his athleticism are rare, and his precision with the football doesn't get nearly enough press. He's the total package.

It's possible that RG3 could go in the top five on draft day, but I certainly don't see him falling out of the top 10. Too many QB-needy teams would have to pass on him for that to happen, and RG3 is not the kind of prospect who should be passed on.

Projection: Top 10

3. Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M

With Barkley and Jones out, Ryan Tannehill could very well go in the first round on draft day.

I, for one, find that unlikely, though. The first round of the draft is loaded with talent, and Tannehill simply isn't a player with first-round talent. Reaching for him would be foolish.

Tannehill won't be on the board long after the first round is over. He's a very raw quarterback, but his skills make his ceiling pretty high. He's got a strong arm and good athleticism, and he demonstrated at Texas A&M that he has the ability to take over a game.

What Tannehill needs is time. He is a converted wide receiver, so it suffices to say he's still learning the ropes. He would be a great find for a team looking for an heir apparent for a veteran quarterback, and he would also work for a team looking to open up a QB battle in 2012.

Projection: Early second

4. Nick Foles, Arizona

Nick Foles showed a tendency to be maddeningly inconsistent in his time at Arizona, but his overall performance was more impressive than he gets credit for.

To give you an idea, Foles completed 69.1 percent of his passes in 2011, a figure that put him in the same company as Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley. He also threw 28 touchdown passes.

Foles' main problem is that he has a tendency to be careless with the football. He threw 14 picks in 2011, 10 in 2010 and nine in 2009. He's never had a running game to help share the load, but there's really no excuse for that many picks.

I don't really see Foles as a high-ceiling guy, but I think he's already better than three or four quarterbacks that are currently starting in the NFL. Just like Tannehill, he would be a good pick for a team looking to start a QB battle in 2012.

Projection: Mid- to late second

5. Case Keenum, Houston

Once you get beyond solid prospects like Tannehill and Foles, the 2012 draft class leaves a lot to be desired at the quarterback position. Truth be told, there don't seem to be many future starters to be found.

As I see it, some team out there is bound to take a chance on Case Keenum. He may be lacking in terms of prototypical NFL assets, but it's just plain hard to overlook Keenum's production at the college level.

All told, Keenum threw for 19,217 yards and 155 touchdowns at Houston. Both of those are NCAA records, and he also holds the record for career completions.

So if there's one thing NFL teams know Keenum can do, it's complete passes. That's more than you can say about half of the quarterbacks that enter the league every year.

Projection: Third round