Andrew Luck may be the favorite to go number one in the NFL draft this year but Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay hasn’t made his decision yet. Irsay said that he’ll be choosing between the Stanford quarterback and this year’s Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III.
Irsay said:
“It’s up in the air… We have to look at this thing completely open-minded. … You have two outstanding athletes, two great pure passers, two guys from families that are incredible.”
Irsay recently traded Peyton Manning to free up some space for a number one quarterback so you’d think he’d have an idea of who he was going to pick. But with Luck and Griffin at the top of the list, I guess you really can’t go wrong.
Yahoo Sports reports that 8 NFL coaches were polled at a meeting on Tuesday and all of them said that Luck would be going as the number one pick.
An AFC executive said:
“Luck is just a safer pick… They are both productive, high-quality kids from great families. You can’t go wrong with either one. But if you’re asking me about whom to take, I have to go with Luck, especially if you’re Indianapolis after what they just had with [Peyton] Manning and the awful season they went through…. Get a guy who you know can play right away.”
No one’s questioning Griffin’s ability but they are questioning his experience. The Baylor quarterback ran a spread-formation offense in college and wasn’t responsible for a lot of play calling. Luck, on the other hand, called many of his own plays and used several audibles.
Colts coach Chuck Pagano, who watched both quarterbacks throw last week, said:
“You just see the energy, the passion and the leadership with [Griffin]. You see the same thing with both of them. The biggest thing you see is that they both are really having fun with what they’re doing. What we do is serious and there’s a lot of pressure, but you have to remember that it’s really fun, too.”
The Washington Redskins will be picking behind the Colts this year. Coach Mike Shanahan said both Luck and Griffin III deserved the number one spot. Shanahan said:
“Both of these guys have it all,” Shanahan said. “You see everything, absolutely everything, from the athletic ability to the way they were brought up. First class, both of them.”
Who do you think will go number one in this year’s draft?
