Andrew Luck Will Become Elite NFL Quarterback with Indianapolis Colts

When the Colts lost their last game of the season, they won the first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.

And they used that pick on Stanford star Andrew Luck.

Luck dominated during his time at Stanford, leading the Cardinals to two BCS bowls (they won one). Luck played very well consistently and rarely threw interceptions, and the Colts decided to let go of another great QB just to let Luck start.

That quarterback is four-time regular-season MVP and Super Bowl MVP Peyton Manning.

Manning was amazing during his 13 years in Indianapolis. While he only won one Super Bowl, the Colts made the playoffs 12 times under Manning and they won the AFC twice.

Even so, the Colts decided to let go of Manning to let Luck start immediately.

Luck is a very mature quarterback who rarely throws interceptions, has great accuracy and plays well at any stage. Stanford went 31-7 with Luck as their QB, and they were very close to a 32-6 record under Luck.

In the 2012 Fiesta Bowl, Luck calmly led Stanford down the field on a potential game-winning drive. Luck set up kicker Jordan Williamson for a 35-yard field goal, but Williamson missed.

Stanford lost in overtime, and the blame was directed at Williamson. But Luck refused to let people blame Williamson, and he showed how mature and kind he is by supporting Williamson and taking the blame for the loss, even though he completed 27 of 31 passes for 347 passing yards, two touchdowns and an interception.

Luck is a great teammate and a mature quarterback who doesn't seem fazed by anything. While those are all great traits to have, what will lead him to NFL success is his play on the field.

In college, Luck had a 71.3 percent completion rate (and some of the incomplete passes were because of drops), and in 2011 he threw 37 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. Luck didn't have a great supporting cast, but he still led Stanford to lots of success.

During his entire college career, Luck threw 82 touchdowns and 22 interceptions, giving him a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 4.41:1.

While Luck probably won't put up those kinds of numbers in the NFL, he will succeed.

Luck can stand his ground in the pocket and make good throws, but he can also escape the rush and make throws on the run. He can break tackles and knock guys over, as he did to Cal's Sean Cattouse in the 2010 Big Game.

The Stanford product understands the game very well and he knows where his receivers will be and what routes they'll run against different defensive schemes. Having his top receiver/tight end at Stanford, Coby Fleener, on his team will definitely help.

Overall, Luck is a great quarterback who has the ability to become a star. He has great chemistry with his receivers, he is a great leader, he is very accurate, he is very smart and he has a knack for succeeding in the clutch.

And he will be dominant in the NFL in no time.