via www2.pictures.zimbio.com

Based off a post in yet another Luck thread(looks at Steve) I thought I'd take a look at the QB class as a whole, because their are others besides Luck. Of course I won't exclude Andrew Luck, but hey we actually look like a team that won't pick first overall. However, Cassel has shown time and time again that he's consistent at only one thing: being inconsistent. If his play begins to dip, then I could definitely see the team unraveling especially the defense. With no AmeriStanzi in sight, Cassel's current contract situation and inconsistent play, odds are we will be selecting some sort of QB in the 2012 Draft so it can't hurt to look at our options.

I'm going to split this into parts, because I honestly don't have the attention span to make a huge megapost on the QB prospects for 2012. And I know you guys don't have the attention span for it either. 

My Top 5 QB rankings as of 10/4/11:

1. Andrew Luck Stanford*

2. Robert Griffin III Baylor*

3. Matt Barkley USC*

4. Landry Jones Oklahoma* 

5. Ryan Tannehill TAMU 

*Underclassmen/Redshirt Juniors

 

More info after the Jump...(always wanted to say that)

So without further ado, ladies and gentlemen I give you.... Andrew Luck!!

via www.6magazineonline.com 

via www.6magazineonline.com

via i55.tinypic.com

via l.yimg.com

Height/Weight: 6-4/235

College Stats: 6926 Passing Yards, 65.41% Completion, 865 Rushing Yards, 56 TDs, 13 INTs

Projection: Top 3 Pick

NFL Comparison: Aaron Rodgers with a weaker arm

Ah yes the anointed one, the Hype-Machine has been going on for a solid 2 years now with no real signs of stopping. Suck4Luck Campaigns have started all over the Interwebz and different fan bases, but what I've noticed is that people talk about Luck that haven't ever seen him play. It seems someone somewhere touted him as the best prospect since Peyton Manning and many just rolled with it. So who really is Andrew Luck? Is he some overrated college QB or is he the real the deal?

Positives: For me personally I believe he is the real deal. He has NFL bloodlines, his father Oliver Luck played for the Oilers as a QB. He is very, very smart a co-valedictorian at his High School, not to mention he goes to Stanford where he's an Architectural Design Major with a 3.5 GPA.  He has the prototypical size for an NFL QB, that compares favorably to Manning. However what he has that Manning doesn't is Athleticism, Luck is quick and he will kill you with his legs if you aren't careful, also showcased some pass catching ability seen above. He is amazingly tough, trucking smaller defenders who try to tackle him, highlight plays tackling when there's a turnover and willing to run with his backs to block downfield. He isn't a run-first QB though, and stays in the pocket as long as possible to extend the play with his arm. 

Speaking of the pocket, he's got great presence, awareness and poise. He can move easily in the pocket to escape the rush, and extend the play always keeping his eyes downfield. He shows great decision-making, and is incredibly accurate. The most pro-ready QB in the draft, and is asked regularly to make progressions to find an open man. His passes have great zip to them in the short and intermediate, and has an arm that can make all the NFL throws. His footwork and release are quite literally perfect, I've honestly never seen someone like this next to Manning circa Tennessee. Its textbook stuff here and his mechanics have no real flaws.

Luck is a leader in the huddle and the team, and comes to play for the biggest games. He makes everybody else's job easier, and has the offense under control. He even calls some of the plays, showcasing a high football IQ. He's someone that you can take home to marry your daughter and has great character. He's a competitor on the field, and a film junkie off of it. Has great work ethic, putting in years worth of work to become what he is today. Luck just makes it look way to easy to play QB, and despite being a dual threat has zero durability issues.

Negatives: No person is perfect in this world, this includes Luck. The amount of hype he's getting is pretty ridiculous, does he have immense potential? Yes. Is he the savior everyone is touting him to be? Very, doubtful. Barring a trade he's going number 1 overall, and your team has more problems then just the QB if its picking number 1 just ask Cam Newton. Luck tends to air out deep passes, and his arm is at a B+ right now even with a picture perfect release. However, Brady also had "average" arm strength and was able to get it to where its not an issue and with Luck's work ethic in an NFL strength program it also shouldn't be an issue. Although he's a runner with great athleticism, he needs to slide more in the NFL or he will pay for it. Recent games have shown that isn't to much of an issue, as he is sliding more, and he's smart enough to realize when he needs to slide. Also something unusual I've seen is he tends to like attacking the middle moreso then the outside, however he's shown that he can hit his guys on the outside. He also has all the regular complaints, plays on a good team, with good overall talent, good RB/OL, inflates his stats, doesn't play good defenses in the PAC yada yada yada.

Overview: All in all, Luck is one of the best prospects to come out in a long time. He's a lock to be the first pick in the draft and has franchise QB written all over again. Will he become one of the elite QBs in the game? That's up in the air at this point, but he's got all the tools to become one. He gets put in the right situation and watch out.

 

Okay so maybe I talked about Luck a little bit more then I expected lol. Well I planned on doing a write-up for my next QB, but I'm tired so I'll wait till next time. But I'll leave you some good Luck gifs in the meantime.

via www.gifsoup.com

 

via uranus.ckt.net

via uranus.ckt.net