The Indianapolis Colts are likely going to take Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. It gets more interesting, however, to figure out when the next-best QB prospect would come off the board.
That would be Baylor's standout dual threat Robert Griffin III, who is expected to leave school and join Luck in the draft, according to ESPN.
If the two teams picking right behind the Coltsâ€"the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikingsâ€"would be interested in a versatile, athletic talent such as Griffin, their front offices have already done a good job of putting out early misinformation.
The Rams, despite an injured-riddled season for quarterback Sam Bradford, the first overall pick in 2010, aren't about to give up on the man who was just named offensive rookie of the year a season ago. For the moment, because the Rams have neither a coach nor general manager after the firings of Steve Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney. Bradford got steadfast support from owner Stan Kroenke.
"Sam is a big talent," Kroenke told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Our opinion on Sam hasn't changed."
Kroenke also stated the obvious to the newspaperâ€"the Rams need a stronger supporting cast to give Bradford a more realistic evaluation in Year 3.
"Let's be fair to Sam," Kroenke said. "He hasn't had the players around him."
The Rams also dished out the last big contract for a quarterback taken first overall, so giving up on Bradford after a six-year, $76 million ($50 million guaranteed) investment wouldn't make financial sense for Kroenke. In contrast, taking Cam Newton No. 1 last year cost the Carolina Panthers only $22 million guaranteed over four years because of the NFL's new rookie wage scale.
The Vikings, who pick No. 3 overall, also have hinted RG3 wouldn't be in their draft plans. That's because they're sticking with Christian Ponder, the 12th overall pick in the 2011 draft, as their top QB for next season.
As a guest of Pro Football Talk live last week, Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was unwavering in committing to keep Ponder as their No.1 in Year 2. "He’s going to be our starting quarterback when everyone is back for OTAs," Spielman told PFT.
In early mock drafts, including those from Sporting News' Russ Lande, the Rams and Vikings are each tied to taking a much-needed elite left tackle to better protect the blindsides of Bradford and Ponder, respectively. While Lande has had St. Louis taking Southern California's Matt Kalil, he has had Minnesota going with another former Pac-12 lineman, Stanford's Jonathan Martin.
The Cleveland Browns pick No. 4, and there's where the Griffin speculation should really begin. When asked about the situation by reporters three days after the end of the season, Browns coach Pat Shurmur was non-committal on whether second-year man Colt McCoy would keep the starting job in Year 3.
"As we go forward here with Colt, he’s done some really good things," Shurmur told the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. "Get him back healthy, get him in an offseason where he has a chance to develop."
McCoy ended the season recovering from a concussion he against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which opened the door for veteran backup Seneca Wallace to start the final three games. Shurmur didn't shy away from the fact McCoy and Wallace might have company to battle for the job.
"There’s going to be some competition, and I expect that Colt will improve just like I expect Seneca (Wallace) will improve and whoever the quarterbacks are here" Shurmur added. "I think that can be said for all positions, so the best quarterback will play when we start the season."
On Tuesday, the Plain-Dealer reported the Browns might have interest in going the veteran route with a new starting QBâ€"if the Arizona Cardinals make Kevin Kolb available.
Looking at what's going on with the top four picks and the fact the No. 5 selecting team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a franchise-type passer (Josh Freeman), the QB-starved Washington Redskins look like the ideal team for Griffin at No. 6. Being drafted to the D.C.-area would also fit with RG3's aspirations in the non-football fields of politics and law.
While Griffin has a fair chance of following one-time Redskins first-round quarterback Heath Shuler into Congress some day, he has promise to call the signals on the field in Washington for a much longer time.
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