NFL Draft 2012: Colts Must Take Andrew Luck, Even If Peyton Manning Is Healthy

The Indianapolis Colts must select Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first pick in April's draft regardless of Peyton Manning's health situation.

It's an issue that's been brought to the forefront due to a tweet by actor Rob Lowe, who said he heard Manning would be retiring. Lowe proceeded to sit down with Ellen DeGeneres (video below) and wouldn't backtrack about what he's been hearing.

While the randomness of Lowe's comments actually lead me to believe they at least have a grain of truth to them, they shouldn't have a major impact on the Colts' plans. Luck needs to be the selection no matter what decision is made regarding Manning and his $28 million option bonus that's due in early March.

Manning has illustrated over the past decade that an elite quarterback can mask other weaknesses a team may have. The Colts defense has never had many stars outside of Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, and even they are only effective when playing from ahead.

Despite those glaring problems, Indianapolis was able to be successful anyway. It's all because the league has shifted toward high-powered passing offenses and nobody was better at directing one than Manning.

Luck could provide the exact same boost to the Colts for the next decade or more. That's why it wasn't a surprise to hear Colts owner Jim Irsay confirm the team is looking at quarterbacks, based on a report from Michael David Smith.

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And according to Irsay, the Colts want Luck or Griffin first overall regardless of whether Manning’s neck injury will prevent him from playing football in 2012.

The Colts have said they’ll wait at least another month to continue to see how Manning’s neck injury progresses, but when asked if his feelings on drafting a quarterback would be different if Manning were healthy, Irsay said, “I don’t think it would.”

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It's actually a pretty easy choice. Do you draft a quarterback who could lead a dominant offensive attack and therefore make the other weaknesses unnoticeable or try to fix the defense, which would be a multi-year process? Obviously the Colts should go the QB route.

Even if Manning is deemed fit to play, he's nearing the end of his record-breaking career. It won't hurt Luck to sit behind a legend for a season or two, as Aaron Rodgers would attest after his experience with the Green Bay Packers and Brett Favre.

Luck has enough intelligence to take over the offense Manning basically constructed by himself in Indianapolis. He might not make all of the same gyrations that have made Manning's pre-snap routine infamous, but the results will still be good enough to make the Colts a legitimate threat.

No matter what rumors or speculation may arise from crazy sources over the next couple months, the Colts' path to success is clear.

Take Luck first overall and let the other chips fall where they may.