2012 NFL Draft Spotlight: Stanford Quarterback Andrew Luck

As we approach the 2012 NFL draft, I'll be doing some extra work on prospects hoping to be picked up this April.

Some of them will be guys you know, some will be guys you haven't heard of, some will be relevant for the NFC North directly, some might just only be seen occasionally in playoff or inter-division games.

Several will be accompanied by videos I have done on my own time illustrating my thoughts, using actual plays as examples.

I'm hoping to catch up on the video end, as between the new B/R gig and moving this week, I'm well behind. I have Robert Griffin III pretty much ready to go, so he'll be up next. Then, video or not, I'll have a couple of these a week until the draft.

Then we'll flip the script and talk about how some of these players will impact the teams in the NFC North.

Today we kick things off with a little-known prospect people are overlooking this draft season—some guy from Stanford by the name of Andrew Luck.

It's funny, as a Pac-10 (well, 12 now) alum from my USC days, Stanford was consistently a joke of a football school. They didn't have much of a history producing big-time NFL talent (John Elway notwithstanding) and nobody seemed to go there to become a surefire NFL player.

You went for an education (a what?) and played some football on the side.

Not so much now that Luck has finished up (and Jim Harbaugh has come and gone). Stanford could very well have four players go in the first round—Luck, OG David DeCastro, OT Jonathan Martin and TE Coby Fleener. That's amazing.

I bring this up because this is how quickly a program can become relevant in today's college football landscape.

On to Luck.

Andrew Luck is probably the safest prospect I have seen in a very long time. We can easily have a debate about which player will be the better player at the pro level: Luck or Griffin?

Griffin has the endless upside, while Luck is a more polished prospect.

The Good

Luck has a ton of tools and experience at his disposal. A lot of people complain about his arm strength but honestly, I don't see it. If you watch the footage I used (Stanford's OT win over USC), Luck throws downfield with accuracy and strength. If anything he can trust his arm too much (more on that in a minute).

He's excellent reading the defense and adjusting accordingly, and he's had control of his offense since his redshirt sophomore year. He makes lightening-quick decisions and while far from perfect, he makes the right call nine times out of 10 when he adjusts.

While he isn't RG3 in terms of mobility, Luck is still highly mobile. He can run well and does a good job gaining yardage, turning a potential negative play into positive yardage.

Finally, he is a tremendous leader and mentally tough. In the game against USC, he threw a few really bad passes (including an pick-six I outlined in the video) but always came back cool and calm.

The same thing in overtime, when USC would score. Luck just went back on the field and played his game.

Whether he is a Colt (as expected), a Redskin or playing on another team (not likely, but hey, it's the draft), he'll need that mental toughness during what could be a tough period of rebuilding.

The Bad

Honestly, there isn't a ton here. As I mentioned a minute ago, he will at times trust his arm too much and try to force balls between defenders when he should either find another receiver, throw the ball away or at try and gain yards with his legs.

It's confidence and you want that in a quarterback, but it's something he will have to learn at the pro level, and it's certainly not a deal breaker.

The Lowdown

I don't believe Luck will have any trouble transitioning to the pro game, save for the fact that he is likely to go to a team with numerous problems. He's mentally tough enough to where I believe he'll get through it with his confidence intact.

Luck is a tremendous prospect with huge potential and very few flaws. That's no guarantee of success, and we really don't know about these guys until they take a snap in the NFL.

Still, I foresee a long, exceptional career for Andrew Luck.

Why the NFC North Should Care

It seems inconceivable that Luck should slip past the first two picks to the Vikings, but we've seen inconceivable happen before. If one of the two top quarterback prospects drops to Minnesota, then what?

In that unlikely lottery-ticket winning moment, the Vikings would have a great choice to have to make. Do they draft Luck and move Ponder, or move the pick to the highest bidder?

Either way, they'd be in great shape.

More likely, it's going to be that the Colts pick Luck, in which case the NFC North teams will see him only occasionally when the AFC South comes to play the NFC North.

Lord knows that Luck or no Luck, the Colts aren't sniffing the playoffs anytime soon, so you won't see him there.