1983 and 2004 Were Good for Drafting Quarterbacks, What About 2012?

Stanford Cardinal quarterback Andrew Luck could have left college last
year and he would have been the number one pick. Luck decided to stay
and he hasn’t hurt his position. The Cardinal have been ranked in the
top 10 of The Associated Press Poll all season and it has a lot to do
with Luck. Luck is the undisputed leader of The Cardinal and arguably
the best player in college football this season. At 6’4″ Luck is
extremely mobile and he can also throw outside of the pocket. Luck will
leave Stanford completing over 70 percent of his passes. If Luck is
selected as the first overall pick, he would join Elway and Jim Plunkett
as Stanford quarterbacks who were the first selection of the draft.

Coming into 2011 most experts were in limbo on USC Trojan quarterback
Matt Barkley as far as whether he should leave school early for The NFL.
Barkley has become a legitimate top 10 pick for April’s draft. Barkley
was the number one high school recruit in 2009 and he hasn’t
disappointed. From his first day as a freshman, Barkley has stepped into
the spotlight and has been a consistent quarterback for The Trojans. As
a freshman, Barkley led The Trojans to victory over The Ohio State
Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio which is one of the toughest places for a
road team to win in college football. More recently people will remember
Barkley helping “The Men of Troy” defeat The Oregon Ducks in Eugene,
Oregon which is another tough environment for a visiting team to win in.
The Ducks had won their previous 21 games at home before falling to
Barkley and The Trojans. In that contest, Barkley threw for 323 yards
with four touchdown passes.

Robert Griffin III probably has the strongest arm out of the group.
Given the nickname “RG3” Griffin has helped to put The Baylor Bears on
the map for football. Last season, Griffin led The Bears to their first
bowl game since 1994. This season Griffin has completed over 70 percent
of his passes. Griffin has only thrown five interceptions and has proven
his worth as a big game quarterback. In Baylor’s first game of the
season, Griffin threw five touchdown passes in an upset win over The TCU
Horned Frogs. Griffin also led an upset of The Oklahoma Sooners in
which he passed for 479 yards. Week by week Griffin is opening up the
eyes of NFL scouts as he is expected to be a top 20 pick in the draft.

Arizona Wildcat quarterback Nick Foles has been the victim of not having
a ton of talent around him in Tuscon this year. 2011 has been a
tumultuous year for The Wildcats as head coach Mike Stoops was fired
mid-season, but Foles has still turned in a decent season. Foles is
closing in on 4,000 passing yards for the season to go with his 25
touchdown passes. Foles has thrown 13 interceptions this year but he
still should be able to sneak into the first round.

Oklahoma Sooner quarterback Landry Jones has always been a cool customer
which bodes well for The NFL. Jones was forced to start in his freshman
year after an injury to Sam Bradford. Jones has handled pressure this
season as The Sooners rolled into 2011 ranked No. 1 in The AP Poll.
Jones is on pace for his second consecutive 4,000 yard passing season in
Norman but Jones’ best trait might be his ability to roll with the
punches. The Sooners lost wide receiver Ryan Broyles and running back
Dominique Whaley to season-ending injuries and Jones has kept the
offense going. The fact that Jones has shown the ability to keep the
offense going will be critical in The NFL. Players get injured and you
have to find ways to win when key guys are not around.