NFL Draft Prospect: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

With Jake Locker struggling this season, Andrew Luck has surpassed him as the top rated quarterback prospect. Luck, a redshirt sophomore, led Stanford to a 11-1 start to the season and an appearance in the BCS Orange Bowl. He has done so in impressive fashion, picking apart Pac-10 defenses and using both his strong arm and surprisingly effective legs to lead the Cardinal down the field. This is an improvement on his impressive freshmen year in which he threw for 2575 yards and 13 TD’s with only 4 INT. However last year, with so much attention on Toby Gerhart and the running game, Luck’s ability to carry the load was unknown. Those questions have obviously been answered and more. Luck has led his team to an impressive season, and he his now the undisputed top prospect in the draft. He is very nearly the perfect quarterback prospect and if he declares will no doubt be the #1 selection. 

Courtesy of Google Images

Luck has prototypical NFL size at 6-4, 235 and an arm capable of making all the NFL throws. He has also displayed ample athleticism and mobility, rushing for over 400 yards in limited attempts this year on top of 354 yards last year. This is an even more impressive number due to the fact that in college, sacks are deducted from a QB’s rushing yardage. Luck is the perfect quarterback prospect. He is smart and capable of making NFL reads. He has played in a pro-style offense the last two years under coach, Jim Harbaugh, and has been very successful. His arm strength is unquestioned, and his accuracy is superb. Luck also has displayed strong leadership ability. He truly has no flaws. Expect him to work out well and interview well before being chosen #1 by the Carolina Panthers. I would like to say more about Luck, but it would really be more of the same. He is perfect. 

NFL Draft Prospect Rankings (10-25-10)

Here are my NFL Draft Rankings as of 10-25-10. They will be updated periodically and more prospect profiles will be added.

Quarterbacks
1. Andrew Luck, Stanford
2. Jake Locker, Washington
3. Ryan Mallet, Arkansas
4. Christian Ponder, Florida St.
5. Blaine Gabbert, Missouri

Running backs

1. Mark Ingram, Alabama
2. Ryan Williams, Virginia Tech
3. DeMarco Murray, Oklahoma
4. LaMichael James, Oregon (Not Draft Eligible)
5. John Clay, Wisconsin

Wide Receivers

1. AJ Green, Georgia
2. Julio Jones, Alabama
3. Ryan Broyles, Oklahoma
4. Justin Blackmon, Oklahoma St.
5. Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
6. Jonathan Baldwin, Pittsburg
7. Ronald Johnson, USC
8. Austin Pettis, Boise St.
9. Jeremy Kurley, TCU
10. Titus Young, Boise St.

Tight Ends

1. Kyle Rudolph, Notre Dame
2. Lance Kendricks, Wisconsin
3. Weslye Saunders, South Carolina
4. Luke Stocker, Tennessee
5. D.J. Williams,  Arkansas

Offensive Tackles

1. Anthony Costanzo, Boston College
2. Nate Solder, Colorado
3. Derek Sherrod, Mississippi
4. Gabe Carimi, Wisconsin

5. Tyron Smith, USC

6. Demarcus Love, Arkansas

7. Matt Reynolds, BYU

Guards and Centers

1. Stefen Wisniewski, Penn St.
2. John Moffit, Wisconsin
3. Mike Pouncey, Florida
4. Marcus Cannon, TCU
5. Rodney Hudson, Florida St.

Defensive Ends

1. Da'Quan Bowers, Clemson

2. Robert Quinn, North Carolina 

3. Adrian Clayborn, Iowa
4. Allen Bailey, Miami
5. Cameron Heyward, Ohio St.
6. Cameron Jordan, California
7. Ryan Kerrigan, Purdue
8. Aldon Smith, Missouri
9. Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma


Defensive Tackles

1. Marcell Dareus, Alabama
2. Nick Fairley, AuburnMarvin a

3. Stephen Paea, Oregon St.

4. Marvin Austin, North Carolin
5. Drake Nevis, LSU

Linebackers

1. Akeem Ayers, UCLA
2. Travis Lewis, Oklahoma
3. Bruce Carter, North Carolina
4. Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina
5. Jeremy Houston, Georgia
6. Von Miller, Texas A&M
7. Dont'a Hightower, Alabama
8. Greg Jones, Michigan St.

Cornerbacks

1. Patrick Peterson, LSU
2. Prince Amukamara, Nebraska
3. Brandon Harris, Miami
4. Aaron Williams, Texas
5. Janoris Jenkins, Florida
6. Brandon Burton, Utah
7. Rashad Carmichael, Virginia Tech

Safties

1. Rahim Moore, UCLA
2. DeAndre McDaniel, Clemson
3. Deunta Williams, North Carolina
4. Tejay Johnson, TCU
5. Mark Barron, Alabama
6. Jeron Johnson, Boise St.
7. Robert Sands, West Virginia

These are most of the main prospects at each position. I don't claim to be Todd McShay or Mel Kiper Jr, and I am not familiar with every single prospect that will be drafted. However, if you have a question about a certain prospect not listed just let me know, and I will research him.

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Offensive Prospect of the Week: Jake Locker, QB, Washington

Courtesy of Google Images 

After his junior season at Washington Jake Locker had a choice, enter the NFL Draft or return to school to try and lead the Huskies to a national championship. Locker choose to stay in school. Entering the 2010 College Football season, Jake Locker was nearly the consensus number one quarterback prospect. His size, athletic ability, and passing skills had wowed the entire country and everyone was caught up in the Jake Locker hype. The Huskies were poised for their best season ever and Locker was set to become the number one pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Then the season began. Washington has stumbled to a 3-4 start to the season, including an embarrassing 56-21 loss to Nebraska. Locker has been heavily criticized for not being able to lead the Huskies to victory; however, despite the criticism, barring the Nebraska game, Locker has not played that poorly. He has thrown for 1614 yards and 14 touchdowns (Only 4 INT), while at the same time rushing for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Courtesy of Google Images

At 6'3, 230lbs Locker has ideal size for a QB, but it is not his size that makes Locker stand out. Locker is a special athlete. He was selected in the 10th round of the MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels, and is rumored to throw in the mid-to-high nineties on his fastball. He also claims to run in the 4.4, 4.5 range in the 40-yard dash. He possesses excellent quickness and agility for a quarterback his size. Physically their is nothing wrong with Locker, he has excellent arm strength and and fairly impressive accuracy. He also has rather advanced footwork and mechanics for a college quarterback. The only thing holding Locker back is himself. He tends to be a streaky passer, displayed by his awful 4-20 passing performance against Nebraska. Also, he often trusts his arm strength too much and tries to force throws. However, he has to attempt to make plays because he is the heart and soul of the Washington offense. Locker has a lot of weight on his shoulders. He received a tremendous amount of hype leading up to the 2011 season, and he has not delivered on that hype. However, he is still a very gifted quarterback. He has the size, speed, strength, and passing ability to succeed at the next level. A good coach can help him with his inconsistent passing and a better team will allow him to quit forcing things. Locker is almost underrated now, with the emergence of Andrew Luck and Ryan Mallet and come draft time Locker will hear his name called in the first round, possibly the top 10.

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