With the 2011 NFL regular season in the books, the Colts have secured the first overall pick in next year’s draft. Now the question becomes what they will do with it. At this point it looks like the most likely scenario will be the Colts selecting a quarterback. Unless Peyton Manning can prove that he is 100 percent healthy and can give Indianapolis a reason to believe he’ll be around for 4 more years, they aren’t trading down too far. With that in mind, it all comes down to Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III.
Earlier in the season, Luck was the obvious choice. One Heisman Trophy and a bunch of eye-popping athletic plays later and the decision isn’t as clear-cut. In fact, former Colts coach Tony Dungy told the Dan Patrick Show on Wednesday that he would take RG3 over Luck.
“I haven’t seen enough of everybody but I like those mobile guys,” Dungy said when asked who he would select with the top overall pick. “The way the game is and the guys that bring that extra dimension — I love Aaron Rodgers now and I’d take (him) over Brady and Brees for the pressure he puts on the defense with his running ability. I just see these guys like Griffin and Russell Wilson and they’re intriguing to me. I like Robert Griffin.”
Dungy also said that he thinks Manning has the Colts quarterback job on lock as long as he’s there. For the record, Tony said he could see Peyton walking away from football after next season, so if he was in charge of the Colts’ draft pick he should be thinking about the fairly immediate future.
One point Dungy made that I agree with is that the guys who are dominating the NFL right now are players like Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady — none of whom were a first overall pick. He said those quarterbacks are evidence that sometimes you don’t have to take the “can’t miss” guy like Luck. He’s right. A first overall pick in no way guarantees success, but no draft pick does in reality.
Personally, I would take Luck if I were the Colts. There is something to be said about a system that has been in place for a long time, and that system in Indianapolis is built around a pocket passer. Griffin could bring an extra element to the offense with his running ability, but it might take longer for the Colts to adjust to that having been used to a pocket passer like Manning and Luck. The transition would be smoother with Luck than Griffin. Plus, those custom Colts jerseys wouldn’t become worthless.
H/T to Pro Football Zone for pointing out the interview
