Andrew Luck: Will QB Declare for Draft if Denver Acquires the No. 1 Pick?

A caller to a radio program in Chicago raised an interesting question; something that I hadn't considered, and perhaps you haven't either. That is, is Stanford star QB Andrew Luck pulling a similar move that his idol John Elway did in trying to force a trade to Denver?

Look, it's not that far-fetched. For one, Elway is a Stanford grad and supposedly very close to Luck.

And if you remember, Elway was drafted number one overall in the 1983 draft by the Baltimore Colts before forcing a trade to the Denver Broncos.

Now Elway is the vice president of football operations for the Broncos and holding the second pick. Coincidence? I think not.

Luck would clearly be the top pick in the draft, but he has said he will return to Stanford for his senior year. That is curious, as he is risking injury. Plus, with the impending lockout and the new CBA, Luck could be throwing away millions of dollars, as rookie maximums are expected to be included in the new agreement.

Some have speculated that Luck could be throwing away as much as $60 million by refusing to enter the draft in April.

So, doesn't it make sense that Elway could have told Luck that you can come to Denver and be mentored by me, your idol, just by effectively refusing to sign with Carolina?

I mean, while he hasn't said his reason has anything to do with the Panthers, his decision not to declare for the draft amounts to the same thing as refusing to sign with them.  

Meanwhile, why would Carolina be a party to this?

Well, it is rumored that they do not want to shell out the bucks for a number one pick. Plus, they need a QB, and without Luck in the draft, there is no QB worthy of the number one pick.

Recognizing that, Denver could send either Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton to the Panthers, along with a draft pick or two, and move up to the number one draft pick and take Luck.

Of course, Denver would first need to ensure that Luck would declare for the draft if Denver makes this deal. And it would have to be done very quickly, as the deadline to declare is Saturday.

It's not as if Carolina would actually be losing much by agreeing to this trade.

For one, they can't get Luck, even if they do hold onto their pick, because he has said he is staying in college.

Meanwhile, they only move down one spot in the draft, so they still get a terrific player and bolster their team with the acquisition of a QB and another draft pick.

What's not to like if you're Carolina?

The 6'4" Luck "led the Pac-10 in pass efficiency for the second straight year with a quarterback rating of 170.2. He also led the conference in total offense with 3,791 yards, in passing yards with 3,338 yards, and in touchdown passes with 32.

Luck rushed for 453 yards, a record for Stanford quarterbacks, with three runs of over 50 yards. Luck's 32 touchdown passes are a new Stanford record, breaking the old record of 27 held by John Elway and Steve Stenstrom. Luck's 3,791 yards of total offense also are a school record", according to Wikipedia.

Some scouts have called him the best QB they have ever scouted.

So, will it happen? Doubtful. Could it happen? Hey, stranger things have happened.