2012 NFL Mock Draft: Examining the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes After Week 15

The Indianapolis Colts finally broke through on Sunday, earning a 27-13 win over the Tennessee Titans to run their record to 1-13. Though the win hasn't really shaken anything up as far as the Andrew Luck sweepstakes are concerned, it is worth revisiting where the teams in the NFL's basement sit as we approach the end of the season.

Make no mistake, Andrew Luck will be the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft. Whether or not the team with the top pick needs a quarterback, Luck's value is far too high for him to not be taken with the top selection. If a team that believes it has its franchise quarterback gets the top pick, they will either trade it for a king's ransom of players and picks, or actually draft Luck and wait for teams to start bidding on him. Either way, the Stanford signal caller will be the top pick. 

The Colts are still the leaders for Luck as they sit at 1-13, with the NFL's worst record. Word is that Peyton Manning has been throwing in pads, though he won't actually play in a game this year. If the Colts believe Manning will be back at 100 percent next season, expect them to hang on to the face of their franchise and look to trade the top pick.

The Colts face the Houston Texans (10-4) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10) in the final two weeks of the season; they could easily win one of their final two, which could set up a tie for the top pick. 

The St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings are both 2-12 and are tied for second in the "Suck for Luck" standings. The Rams are set at quarterback with the No. 1 pick from the 2010 NFL draft, Sam Bradford. Again, if they get the top pick, they will do whatever they can to sell it off, move down and try to take a wideout to help their franchise signal caller. 

St. Louis finishes the year at Pittsburgh (10-3) and at home against San Francisco (10-3), so the Rams are almost assured of a 2-14 finish, and have a legitimate shot at the top pick.

The Vikings took Christian Ponder with the 12th pick in this year's draft, expecting him to be their franchise quarterback. At this point, if Minnesota ended up with the top pick in the draft, it would be really hard for me to see them passing on Luck. He is twice the prospect Ponder is and would automatically upgrade their quarterback situation.

Minnesota travels to Washington to take on the (5-9) Redskins before welcoming the 7-7 Chicago Bears to town to finish the season. Considering the Vikings have lost six in a row and eight of their last nine games, a 2-14 finish is certainly not out of the question. 

Right now, all three teams have a great shot at earning the No. 1 pick and the opportunity to select Luck.

2012 NFL Mock Draft

1. Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck	17. New York Jets: Quinton Coples
2. St. Louis Rams: Alshon Jeffery	18. New York Giants: David DeCastro
3. Minnesota Vikings: Matt Kalil	19. Denver Broncos: Alfonzo Dennard
4. Jacksonville Jaguars: Justin Blackmon	20. Detroit Lions: Cordy Glenn
5. Carolina Panthers: Morris Claiborne	21. Dallas Cowboys: Janoris Jenkins
6. Miami Dolphins: Robert Griffin III	22. Cincinnati Bengals: Lamar Miller
7. Washington Redskins: Landry Jones	23. Cincinnati Bengals: Stephon Gilmore
8. Arizona Cardinals: Jonathan Martin	24. Cleveland Browns: Devon Still
9. Philadelphia Eagles: Vontaze Burfict	25. Houston Texans: Dontari Poe
10. Kansas City Chiefs: Riley Reiff	26. Chicago Bears: Zach Brown
11. Seattle Seahawks: Matt Barkley	27. Pittsburgh Steelers: Luke Kuechly
12. Cleveland Browns: Trent Richardson	28. New England Patriots: Jared Crick
13. San Diego Chargers: Ronnell Lewis	29. New England Patriots: Whitney Mercilus
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Dre Kirkpatrick	30. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Toon
15. Buffalo Bills: Melvin Ingram	31. Baltimore Ravens: Kevin Reddick
16. Tennessee Titans: Michael Floyd	32. Green Bay Packers: Brandon Thompson