Luck Should Be No. 1

Monday's Orange Bowl proved once again why Stanford QB Andrew Luck is the best draft-eligible quarterback in college football. The Cardinal signal-caller went 18-for-23 for 287 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on his way to MVP honors.

The game was just the latest in a string of phenomenal performances by the 6-4, 235-pound quarterback. He finished the season with 3,338 yards passing, 32 touchdowns and just eight interceptions. His QB rating was third among quarterbacks with qualifying statistics, trailing only Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton and Heisman finalist Kellen Moore.

Luck finished with a 70.7 completion percentage, fifth in the nation. His 4:1 TD-to-INT ratio was among the best in the country as well.

Where does this put Luck if he decides to leave school and declare for the NFL Draft? At the very top.

If Luck enters the 2011 NFL Draft, he immediately becomes the top available prospect in the draft and the surefire, can't-miss No. 1 overall pick.

He has a strong arm and he's extremely accurate. Luck can make all the throws, and he makes good decisions with the football. He's an incredibly intelligent quarterback who is patient in the pocket and rarely forces throws. He doesn't let mistakes snowball, either. Luck was intercepted at least once in only six of the 13 games the Cardinal played this season, but only two of those games were multi-interception performances.

When the play breaks down, he can run with the football. Luck carried 55 times for 453 yards and three touchdowns this season after carrying 61 times for 354 yards and two touchdowns last season. He has not fumbled the ball in two years.

There should be no questions about his durability and strength. Luck has delivered his fair share of bruising hits, including one on USC defensive back Shareece Wright as he returned a fumble against Stanford.

There should be no questions about his ability to handle the spotlight, either. Luck has said all the right things leading up to his decision about the draft. One just has to look at his maturity during the post-Orange Bowl press conference, when he deflected questions about his future and chose to focus on the performance of his team.

Luck has proven he has the necessary skills to succeed at the next level, and if he does enter the draft, there's no doubt he should be the first overall pick.