Andrew Luck vs. Robert Griffin III: What Are the Experts Saying?

Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III have been and always will be compared to one another. The fact that they are quarterbacks in the same NFL draft class means they will be linked forever when people look back and examine their careers.

As of now it appears that Luck is the overwhelming favorite to be the No.1 overall pick in April's draft. In all likelihood, he is going to be under center for the Indianapolis Colts during the 2012 season. While Colts owner Jim Irsay claims his team is still evaluating the two prospects, the Stanford quarterback is likely to land in Indianapolis.

But over the past few weeks some have suggested that the gape between the two players is closing and others have even claimed that Griffin is the better choice at No. 1.

ESPN's Merril Hoge made waves last week when he claimed that Griffin was the better player and that Indianapolis should select him over Luck. Hoge claimed that he would take Griffin over Luck in "half a heartbeat."

Meanwhile, ESPN draft experts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay both have Luck graded higher than Griffin. Both guys have Luck as the No. 1 player on their boards, but Griffin is firmly set at No. 2 on each list. McShay and Kiper both seem to agree that Griffin has come on strong but that Luck has to be the guy at No. 1.

Yahoo! Sports' Jason Cole has a story today that claims NFL executives are saying Luck is the safer pick than Griffin, and that he would be the smart choice at No. 1. 

Recently NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock seemed to buck the trend of experts loving Luck when he claimed that the Stanford signal-caller wasn't the kind of "once in a lifetime" prospect that people were making him out to be. He then went on to claim he loved "everything" about Griffin.

I'm not sure if that means Mayock would take Griffin over Luck, but he is clearly not as sold on the Stanford product as others are. 

With that in mind, ESPN Insider's KC Joyner also broke down all the reasons Griffin could end up being the No. 1 pick. He lists Griffin's better overall numbers in 2011, the fact that he faced better competition and his speed as factors that tilt things in his favor. 

While some experts seem to be gravitating towards Griffin as we inch closer to draft day, the overwhelming sentiment still has Luck as the best choice at No. 1.