NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Ranking the Top Andrew Luck Contenders

As long as Stanford's quarterback remains the consensus No. 1 overall pick for the 2012 NFL draft, then talk will continue surrounding which team will get the dubious privilege of drafting him.

While there is one sure-fire contender, one team that will surely end up with the No. 1 overall pick come April, there are a number of other teams that could potentially vie for that spot.

Here are four teams that are in the running to nab Luck in 2012.

The Indianapolis Colts (0-13)

While other teams could in fact drop lower than the Indianapolis Colts have this season, should Indy manage to win any of their three remaining games, the odds are against the Colts notching a single victory as the season winds down.

The only reason the Colts wouldn't wind up with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck joining their ranks in 2012 is simply because they trade out of the pick or grab someone else in his place.

Luck's chances of going to the Colts depends on the health of longtime starter Peyton Manning, who has missed the entirety of the 2011 season after undergoing two neck surgeries in the offseason.

If Manning recovers well from his most recent surgery and seems on track to be healthy enough to play a full season next year, the Colts won't need to draft his successor just yet.

And with the team having so many issues to address, especially on defense, it may behoove them to move the pick for a number of others and nab extra players to fill their numerous holes.

But if Luck does go first overall in April, it will most likely be the Colts who drafted him.

The St. Louis Rams (2-10)

Though the St. Louis Rams drafted their quarterback of the future in 2010, nabbing Sam Bradford with the No. 1 overall pick, Bradford hasn't managed to produce many victories for his team. So should the Rams end up with the No. 1 overall pick yet again, they may just use it to grab Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Bradford's 2011 season has been marred by injury, and he's suffered when healthy by a lack of reliable receiving targets.

Though Luck may not fare better than Bradford without the team addressing their many offensive needs, the Rams may see Luck as the kind of shot in the arm the offense needs to kick start a series of winning seasons.

Aside from the Colts being even more terrible than the Rams and thus more likely to grab Luck, there's also the issue of Bradford's expensive rookie contract. He's still owed millions in guaranteed money, and it would be an expensive bench whether Bradford sits in 2012 or the less-pricy (but still high-priced) or Luck does so.

The odds are low that if the No. 1 overall pick fell to them that the Rams would use it on Luck, but it's still a possibility.

The Minnesota Vikings (2-11)

The Minnesota Vikings, at 2-11, are off to their worst start in franchise history. Their main problems have been on offense, with quarterback and wide receiver the team's two biggest issues.

Starting the year with Donovan McNabb at quarterback, they eventually replaced him with rookie backup Christian Ponder. Ponder, who in eight starts has completed just 55.7 percent of his passes, has thrown 11 interceptions and 11 touchdowns and lost two fumbles, was benched after a four-turnover performance against the Detroit Lions in Week 14, replaced by Joe Webb.

Ponder's benching was only temporary, however, as he will retain the starting job next week when the team takes on the New Orleans Saints. But it doesn't alleviate the fact that there are serious questions at quarterback that the Vikings need to answer.

At times, it seems that Ponder is the perfect quarterback for the Vikings. But, at others, he looks destined for life as a career backup. Though being thrown to the fire isn't the best way for a quarterback to spend his rookie season, it has helped him learn his new team's system and made him more familiar with the fast pace of the game.

But should the Vikings have the opportunity to draft Andrew Luck with the No. 1 overall pick, they just might do so, especially if they think they'd have a better chance to win in the future with Luck than with Ponder.

It's a long shot, however; though it's the Vikings' worst year in team history, it's still not bad enough to net them the No. 1 overall pick. I don't see Minnesota trading up to get it either, which means Minnesota would only land Luck if they found themselves with the No. 1 pick by strength (or weakness) of their record.

The Cleveland Browns (4-9)

Of any of these four teams, the Cleveland Browns would benefit most from the services of Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, but they're the least likely of the the four to see the No. 1 pick end up in their hands.

That doesn't mean the Browns shouldn't consider trading up for it, though, especially if the Indianapolis Colts feel confident that Peyton Manning will be healthy enough to start for another season or two.

The Browns have a young quarterback of their own, Colt McCoy, who they took in the third round of the 2010 NFL draft, but he's simply not working out.

McCoy doesn't have the arm strength, pocket presence or accuracy to make his team competitive in their tough AFC North division. If they want to become a challenge for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, they need to step up their game, starting at quarterback.

As a passer, McCoy has thrown 20 touchdowns to 20 interceptions and notched a running score in 2010. He's got solid targets to throw to, but hasn't managed to get them the ball, rarely going deep with any success and notching just a single 300-yard passing game to his name in two seasons.

The Browns have a glut of draft picks in 2012, which makes it less expensive for them to trade down for the No. 1 overall pick and nab Luck in April should the Colts want to make the move.

Though it seems unlikely this scenario would play out, it would be a huge benefit for the struggling Browns.

Full 32-Team NFL Power Rankings for Week 15

NFL Power Rankings, Week 15*
 
1. Green Bay Packers
2. New Orleans Saints
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Houston Texans
5. San Francisco 49ers
6. Pittsburgh Steelers
7. New England Patriots
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. New York Jets
10. Denver Broncos
11. Detroit Lions
12. New York Giants
13. Cincinnati Bengals
14. Tennessee Titans
15. Arizona Cardinals
16. Dallas Cowboys
17. Seattle Seahawks
18. San Diego Chargers
19. Miami Dolphins
20. Buffalo Bills
21. Oakland Raiders
22. Chicago Bears
23. Minnesota Vikings
24. Jacksonville Jaguars
25. Carolina Panthers
26. Kansas City Chiefs
27. Philadelphia Eagles
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
29. Washington Redskins
30. Cleveland Browns
31. St. Louis Rams
32. Indianapolis Colts

*Subject to change pending outcome of Monday night's Rams-Seahawks contest.