2012 NFL Draft Projections: Colts Crazy to Look at Anyone Other Than Andrew Luck

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay can hardly be faulted for suggesting that his organization hasn't made up its collective mind as to who, between Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, should be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, as he told ESPN's Dan Graziano on Monday:

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"I think they're both outstanding young men. I don't think it's either-or, where only one of them is going to succeed. I think they're both going to be great. 

"If we decided to do a deal early with one of them, that's something we could definitely look into. But we're still in the evaluation process right now." 

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It's incumbent upon any franchise in the middle of a major rebuilding project to do its due diligence with regard to scouting and evaluating all of its available options, given the far-reaching effects, good or bad, that may emanate from such a decision.

But when Roger Goodell steps up to the podium at Radio City Music Hall on April 26th, he'd better let loose Luck's name from his lips, first and foremost.

Not for his own sake, of course, but for the sake of the Colts.

Don't get me wrong, RG3 is a tremendous talent (and, by all accounts, an even better person) who deserves every syllable of praise that's thought, spoken or written about him. Greg Cosell of NFL Films has gone so far as to describe Griffin as "a superior arm talent and natural passer than Luck."

That's not to say, however, that Griffin is (or, more importantly, will be a better NFL quarterback than Luck. As Cosell notes, RG3 spent his collegiate career playing in a shotgun scheme, with four wideouts and one running back, that isn't particularly common in the pro game today.

Luck, on the other hand, comes from a pro-style system that, while more confined to short and intermediate throws and quick drop-backs, allowed him to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage, much like what will be expected of him in the NFL.

And while Cosell points out that RG3 has a stronger arm and is somewhat more poised in the pocket, he also highlights how Peyton Manning, to whom Luck's been favorably compared and whose shoes he's expected to fill, didn't have the strongest arm coming out of college, but improved in that department over time.

Furthermore, Cosell discussed Luck's ability to throw accurately while on the run, a skill that should serve him well at the next level when faced with bloodthirsty linebackers and busted coverages.

Not to mention Luck's superior (and prototypical) size for the position as well as the poise he showed under pressure last season, week in and week out, while bombarded with attention from Day 1.

For all we know, Luck and Griffin will have tremendous professional player careers. They certainly both have the talent and raw ability to be productive members of the NFL, at the very least.

But if you're Robert Irsay and you've just cut loose a man in Peyton Manning who played the position more brilliantly than just about anyone in the history of football, you go for the closest to a sure thing at quarterback that college football has sent forth in nearly a decade and a half.

That is, you go for Andrew Luck.

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