ESPN

Andrew Luck might be the top pick in the NFL draft, but Madison Avenue has its sights on the likely second pick, Robert Griffin III.

“When it comes down to marketability, it’s no contest,” said John Stone, director of business development at New England Consulting Group. “Luck is awkward in the way he speaks. RG3 is a rock star.

“[Griffin] is someone who we haven’t seen in a couple of decades. If you look at some [of] the most iconic marketing stars in the last decade -- [Derek] Jeter, [Peyton] Manning, [Michael] Jordan -- RG3 is ahead of them at the same age as far as charisma, overall dynamic personality, his ability to communicate, his authenticity and just being a refreshing personality. He has the potential to be as big a superstar as those athletes were in their sports.”

Luck has already signed deals with Panini America and Nike, while Griffin has racked up deals with Subway, Castrol Oil and adidas and is on the cover of EA Sports "NCAA Football 13."

Henry Schafer’s firm, The Q Score Company, polls sports fans to determine which athletes fans are most aware of and how they feel about those athletes. Griffin came out on top in the most recent survey, with an overall Q Score of 20, five points above the average for all NFL players. Half of all sports fans are at least familiar with him.

Luck is slightly more well-known, with 54 percent of fans saying they’re familiar with the former Stanford quarterback, but his Q Score comes in below Griffin’s at the NFL average of 15, meaning more sports fans identified Griffin as one of their favorites rather than Luck.

Both outscored last year’s top pick, Cam Newton. Prior to the draft, his Q Score was well below the league average at 11, with 42 percent of people who were aware of him holding a negative opinion. Tim Tebow, a first-round pick in 2010, had a Q Score just one point above Griffin’s going into the 2010 draft, in part because 28 percent of sports fans had a negative opinion of him.

Regardless of familiarity or likability, companies generally are willing to take a risk on the top one or two quarterbacks in the draft.

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