Andrew Luck: Indianapolis Colts' New QB Will Have Tough First Season in NFL

Andrew Luck was selected with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, but now comes the hard part.

The soon-to-be Stanford graduate will have to step on to the football field and prove that he is worth all of the hype bestowed onto him.

Even though every scout agrees that he has every asset a team could want in a quarterback—from passing accuracy to speed to intelligence—reports do not mean a thing once the game starts.

This is where things will be tough for Luck, especially in his first season.

The Indianapolis Colts are a shadow of the team that had double-digit wins for nine straight years.

Pro Bowl defensive end Dwight Freeney is on his way out, and there has been little improvement to a defense that gave up almost 27 points per game last season.

On offense, only aging receiver Reggie Wayne resembles a top-level player who could be a weapon for the new quarterback.

Luck had a very productive career at Stanford, but the talent around him made it a lot easier to succeed.

The Cardinal had two talented offensive linemen in David DeCastro and Jonathan Martin giving their star plenty of time in the pocket. In addition, tight end Coby Fleener is one of the best receiving targets in the country and should be selected in Day 2 of the draft.

With the Colts, Luck will not have these luxuries. 

The quarterback will have a rude awakening once he gets to the NFL and has to make quick decisions to receivers who cannot get themselves open.

He has the skill to have a long, illustrious career to follow up Peyton Manning. However, he will also likely match Manning's rookie struggles when he threw 28 interceptions.

Indianapolis fans will have to be patient.