NFL Combine 2012: What We Learned About Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III

As an event, the NFL scouting combine is overrated. As a means of evaluating NFL talent, it's horribly overrated.

This doesn't mean the combine is a complete waste of time, though. There are things to be learned at every combine, particularly when it comes to the players at the top of the class.

All eyes were on the top quarterbacks in the 2012 draft class at this year's combine: Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III. They are expected by many to be the first two players taken in the first round of April's draft, and they were the star attractions at Indianapolis last week.

Here's what we learned about each of them.

Andrew Luck

The book on Andrew Luck is that he's a complete quarterback prospect. He's got height, a solid build, he has more than adequate arm strength, accuracy, mobility, pocket awareness, you name it.

The combine did not put Luck's reputation as a complete quarterback prospect to the test. Instead, what was put to the test was Luck's athleticism.

He passed with flying colors.

The one event where Luck opened the most eyes was in the 40-yard dash. Per the NFL's official site, Luck ran the 40 in 4.67 seconds.

That ranked fourth among the quarterbacks who participated in the drill, and it really wasn't far off from the 4.59-second mark posted by Cam Newton at last year's combine.

So what we learned is that scouts really weren't doing Luck justice in talking about his athleticism. Mobile quarterbacks are on the rise in the NFL, and Luck appears to fit that mold. That's another feather in his cap.

It matters little, but for what it's worth, Luck also performed well in the vertical leap, posting a vert of an even 36 inches. That tied for fourth among quarterbacks. Luck also led all quarterbacks with a broad jump of 10 feet, 4 inches.

Beyond proving that he's athletic, Luck really didn't prove all that much at the combine. And that's fine. He didn't even need to prove that he was athletic. All Luck needed to do was avoid bombing at the combine, which we've found out over the years is relatively easy to do.

It's going to be a shock if Luck isn't the first overall pick in the draft. Though the reports have been mixed, it was reported way back in early January by ESPN that the Indianapolis Colts have already made up their minds.

Unlike with Cam Newton in 2011, nobody's in a position to second-guess Luck as the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. There is not a single red flag to be found on his resume.

Robert Griffin III

If Luck proved he's athletic, Robert Griffin III proved he's freakishly athletic.

Much was made of Griffin's 4.41-second 40-yard dash, and that's because it's kind of a big deal. That's one of the fastest 40 times ever posted by a quarterback, and it was faster than many people figured RG3 would run.

Griffin also led all quarterbacks with a 39-inch vert and finished third among QBs with a 10-foot broad jump.

Merely showing how athletic he is was merely part of the RG3 combine experience. He also drew rave reviews for his interviews, which is even more important.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller wrote that Griffin's press conference with members of the media "was among the best seen in Indianapolis—ever."

John Clayton of ESPN was similarly impressed, writing that Griffin's news conference "surpassed any combine interview I've witnessed in 24 years covering this event."

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Romeo Crennel didn't shy away from geeking out over RG3. Courtesy of The Kansas City Star:

"

You only have 15 minutes to talk to guys. That goes pretty quickly when you’re talking to the entertaining young man like he is. He is very sharp. He’s well-thought out. He gives great answers. We could have talked to him for an hour. But in the 15 minutes we had, we came away very impressed with him.

Not only was he sharp on football but he was sharp on life. He’s an Army brat like I was an Army brat, there’s a special connection there. I’m going to give him a little bit more headway than I’m going to give some other guys. 

"

All signs point towards RG3 being a franchise quarterback who simply must be had. There was some buzz about him being the No. 2 overall pick in the draft before the combine, and now it's all but a given that RG3 will be the No. 2 overall pick in the draft.

He was that good at the combine.

Summary

As overrated as the combine is, the performances of Luck and Griffin definitely succeeded in changing the perception of the draft. Luck solidified his status as the No. 1 overall pick, and Griffin proved that he's just as promising as Luck is.

As a result, what we're likely to see in April is something very rare. Odds are that Luck and Griffin are going to go No. 1 and No. 2 in the draft, and it's just not every year that there are two quarterbacks talented enough to warrant back-to-back picks at the top of the draft.

Things could change between now and the draft...but they won't.