Who will draft Andrew Luck and more importantly will he sign with the team that drafts him? That question will be asked more and more as the 2011 football season winds down and we prepare for the 2012 NFL draft.
I don’t care what kind of season Andrew Luck has at Stanford, he will be the first player drafted in the 2012 NFL draft. Right now it looks like the Indianapolis Colts will have the first pick in the 2012 NFL draft.
The Colts dilemma is that Peyton Manning may be healthy in 2012 and Andrew Luck may not want to sit behind Manning for a couple of years. Manning and Luck are friends and their fathers were quarterbacks on the Houston Oilers together. The Colts may even draft Andrew Luck and release or trade Peyton Manning but I don’t see that happening.
Andrew Luck holds all the cards in the 2012 NFL draft. Luck will have one year of college eligibility left and can use that as leverage to force a trade to a team of his choice. Luck went back to Stanford to avoid playing for the Carolina Panthers this year. As a Panthers fan I thank Mr. Luck for giving us Cam Newton.
Teams will be inclined to trade Andrew Luck rather than let him play another year of college ball. A team can get a nice surplus or draft picks and players for the rights to Andrew Luck.
Also the first pick in the NFL draft is a much more tradable thing than in the past. Now with a rookie salary cap the teams have less of a hit from a bust. Thus teams will be more likely to be willing to trade up.
I think Andrew Luck will be a Colt if Peyton Manning retires. The ties between Manning and Luck may get the Colts their next franchise quarterback. If Luck forces a trade then I see three possible teams that Andrew would play for.
The San Francisco 49ers are the logical team to trade for Andrew Luck for several reasons. Luck played for Coach Jim Harbaugh at Stanford and I presume they have a good relationship. The 49ers are also a Super Bowl contender right now and Alex Smith is not the quarterback that Luck will probably be. Also Luck would be right there in the area where he played his college ball.
The Dallas Cowboys may also be in play for Andrew Luck if they have another choke job by Tony Romo in 2011. Jerry Jones loves to make a big splash and the endorsement opportunities for Luck would be huge as the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys. I just don’t know if Luck would want to play for Jerry Jones.
The Baltimore Ravens are hungry to win and may pull the trigger if they have given up on Flacco. There is a veteran team that could help Luck progress quickly and that may appeal to him.
No matter what happens Andrew Luck will make the 2012 NFL draft one of the most interesting ones in years. Click here to see my current 2012 NFL Mock Draft