In what should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody, reports are surfacing that the Indianapolis Colts, who hold the top overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, have already decided that they are going to be taking Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with their selection.
(Hat tip to our friends at Stampede Blue for the story.)
Luck has been the consensus top pick in the 2012 Draft since he failed to declare for the 2011 NFL Draft. It leaves the Colts with a bit of a sticky situation concerning quarterback Peyton Manning, who is due a humongous roster bonus in late February. Would the Colts pay Manning that huge bonus and keep both players, or would they release Manning, saving themselves the money, and roll with the rookie? Personally, my money would be on the latter scenario, but that's just a hunch.
If this is true, the effect of this is that it makes the second and third picks, currently held by the St. Louis Rams and your Minnesota Vikings, that much more interesting. The odds are very good that one of those two teams is going to trade out of their current position to a team that wants to move up and select Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. If a team wants this year's Heisman Trophy winner, they're likely going to have to get in front of the Cleveland Browns, who have the fourth overall selection this April.
But the one team that has the pick of the litter in this year's draft has, apparently, already made its selection. . .long before the NFL Scouting Combine or free agency or pro days or anything else.