Colts to pick Andrew Luck, sources say - ESPN

Updated: January 7, 2012, 1:27 PM ET

By Chris Mortensen
ESPN
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2012 NFL draft order

The Colts will pick No. 1 overall in the 2012 draft. The 20 non-playoff teams know where they'll pick, aside from coin flips that will break ties for the Nos. 8 and 11 picks. Draft Order

With the stunning dismissal of Bill Polian, the architect of the Colts' 11 playoff appearances, uncertainties remain over Peyton Manning's health and Jim Caldwell's future as coach, but sources say one thing is certain: Colts owner Jim Irsay plans to take Andrew Luck with the draft's first-round pick.

Sources say Irsay sees symmetry in the franchise history of draft picks and will not pass on the opportunity to complete it. In 1983, the Colts took John Elway with the No. 1 pick, only to see Irsay's father, Bob, trade the Hall of Famer.

Fifteen years later, the Colts took Manning.

Now 14 years after that, Jim Irsay wants to draft his quarterback for the next 12 to 15 years.

Chris Mortensen is a senior NFL anaylst for ESPN.