NFL Power Rankings Week 17: Ranking the Top Andrew Luck Contenders

In the past two weeks, there's been quite a shakeup in the NFL draft order for 2012. One thing hasn't changed however: Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has remained the consensus choice to be the top-picked player in the draft in April.

In the following slides, I detail five teams that are in the running to select him, either by virtue of ending up with the No. 1 pick when the season is over or teams who are just outside of it and able to trade into the spot and draft Luck.

Indianapolis Colts (2-13)

For now, the 2-13 Indianapolis Colts still have control over the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. It's already been speculated that the Colts will use this pick to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, but it's yet to be set in stone.

The wild card for the Colts is the health of quarterback Peyton Manning. If Manning proves to be fully recovered from his two 2011 neck surgeries and can ostensibly play a whole season in 2012, they might not need to pick up Luck.

However, it could still prove beneficial for Indianapolis to take Luck even if Manning is healthy. At 36 years old once the 2012 regular season starts, Manning likely doesn't have many seasons left in him.

The Colts aren't necessarily going to find themselves in a situation such as this, with the No. 1 draft pick in their pockets, in the coming seasons and should draft Luck while they have the chance. But what the Colts should do and what they will do could be two different things.

If they choose to stick solely with Manning, then they're in a great position to trade that top pick to a team with more immediate quarterback needs. With the Colts struggling at so many key positions, there's reason to believe they could move that pick in order to rebuild their roster.

St. Louis Rams (2-13)

Should the Indianapolis Colts win in Week 17 and the St. Louis Rams lose, then the Rams would have earned themselves the dubious honor of being the holders of the No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft.

While the Rams are just two years removed from drafting Sam Bradford, their supposed quarterback of the future, that doesn't mean they won't snag Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck should they have the opportunity.

Though Bradford has missed five games this year due to injury, his numbers are still significantly down from his 2010 rookie season. He's completed just 53.5 percent of his passes this year and has thrown six touchdowns and six interceptions while at the helm of the league's lowest-scoring offense.

Many of Bradford's problems have stemmed from a number of injuries around the offense, as well as their league-worst defense forcing him to play from behind game after game. Adding Luck won't solve these problems, but it does give them a valuable weapon should they decide that Bradford hasn't been the answer they hoped he'd be.

However, I don't see the Rams trying to trade into the No. 1 spot if they end the year with the No. 2 draft pick. In that case, I see them taking Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon, giving Bradford a much-needed weapon and with it, hopefully an uptick in production in 2012.

Minnesota Vikings (3-12)

With Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 16 and unlikely to play when the 2012 regular season opens, the team has far greater concerns than just their quarterback situation.

Further, at 3-12 on the year, there's little chance the team will end up with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft. For those reasons, I don't see the Vikings picking or trying to trade down this year in order to pick Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, regardless of how much of an upgrade it might be.

Three different quarterbacks have taken the field for the Vikings this year—veteran Donovan McNabb was the starter when the season, began but he was eventually benched in favor of 2011 draft pick Christian Ponder.

Ponder himself was benched in Week 14 after throwing three picks and losing a fumbled ball, with Joe Webb under center for the remainder of the team's loss to the Detroit Lions. Though Ponder got his job back in Week 15, a Week 16 concussion knocked him out of the game and, again, Webb took the offense's reigns.

The Vikings' issues run deeper than just quarterback, however, and it's quite possible that with an offseason to mature and learn, Ponder can show marked improvement in 2012.

At this point, Minnesota just doesn't need another quarterback, not even Luck. They're unlikely candidates to make a move for him in this year's draft.

Jacksonville Jaguars (4-11)

The Jacksonville Jaguars are in a similar, but yet worse, situation than the Minnesota Vikings as far as the quarterback position is concerned, and it's not inconceivable that they might attempt to trade down for the No. 1 overall pick in order to draft Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Like the Vikings, the Jaguars chose to start a rookie quarterback in 2011. Unlike the Vikings' Christian Ponder, however, the Jaguars' Blaine Gabbert has had a season marked mainly by failures.

The Jaguars have scored over 20 points just once this season, and one glance at Gabbert's statistics gives an indication as to why. Gabbert has a 50.5 completion percent on the year and has thrown 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Though Gabbert's not entirely to blame—he seemed destined to spend his rookie season on the bench learning the game behind veteran David Garrard, except now-fired head coach Jack Del Rio had different plans—and he needs better receivers to throw to before his true value is clear, he certainly needs a lot of work before he's a reliable, game-winning quarterback.

However, according to Pro Football Weekly, Jaguars General Manager Gene Smith is committed to Gabbert as the team's starter and will likely focus on getting him better weapons to throw to and better protection in this year's draft.

While Luck-to-Jacksonville has its merits as a theory, it's just that—a theory. When it comes down to it, the Jaguars aren't likely to draft their second quarterback in two years.

Cleveland Browns (4-11)

Though the Cleveland Browns are out of contention for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft, I see the team as having the best chances to trade down into that spot and snag Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.

Since reforming as an organization in 1999, the Browns have started 16 different quarterbacks, sometimes because of injury and sometimes because of ineptitude. They have yet to find a single player who is the answer at the position for the long term, and that includes current (though currently concussed) starter Colt McCoy.

McCoy, drafted by the Browns in the third round of the 2010 draft, hasn't performed at a high level in his two years. In eight games in 2010, McCoy threw more interceptions than touchdowns.

Though this year he has 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions, he's thrown for over 250 yards just once, thanks to a combination of his weak arm and no reliable deep receiving weapons.

While an upgrade at quarterback won't cure all that ails the Browns, drafting someone like Luck, who has long-term starter written all over him, would at least provide the team with much-needed stability at the position.

With a solid running game and a defense that's good but needs improving, just the addition of Luck could be quite a shot in the arm for Cleveland. I wouldn't be surprised if they reach out to either the St. Louis Rams or Indianapolis Colts and see what they'd be willing to take in return for the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2012.

Full 32-Team NFL Power Rankings for Week 17

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

*Subject to change pending outcome of Monday night's Saints-Falcons contest