ESPN College Football

INDIANAPOLIS -- At an appearance at Lucas Oil Stadium this evening, Andrew Luck said people smarter than him would be deciding on whether Coby Fleener was the guy for the Colts at No. 34.

Those people, led by general manager Ryan Grigson, decided Luck’s Stanford teammate was, in fact, the right guy.

Fleener is the team’s second-round pick, and will be a prime target for Luck just as he was in college.

The Colts have a couple dependable receivers in Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie. Beyond that, they’ve got a reclamation project in Donnie Avery and a tight end who’s more a blocker than a receiver in Brody Eldridge.

Fleener is a giant get and fits perfectly with the idea of surrounding Luck with weapons who will maximize his chances at success.

I wasn’t alone in being surprised he made it out of the first round.

Now I expect the Colts will start to look for defenders as they have major holes at cornerback, defensive tackle and linebacker.

You didn't think we'd let the day go without something on Andrew Luck, did you? And it happens that Elizabeth Merrill of ESPN.com put together a really great read on Luck, his father Oliver, and how the two are similar.

Thought this was one you all would enjoy.

WHEELING, W.Va. -- On the last Interstate 70 stop before West Virginia mountains give way to Ohio green, a tall man with perfectly swept hair works the White Palace ballroom. He is charming, almost presidential, which is good because this is a heavy-hitter crowd. The governor of the great state of West Virginia is here, as well as a roomful of bankers, lawyers and schmoozers. A prayer is said before their supper of sautéed chicken and green beans, and cocktails are poured in plastic cups.

They have gathered on this late-April night to see Oliver Luck, a man whose bio in the Wheeling Chamber of Commerce dinner program fills an entire single-spaced page. Luck is all over the West Virginia map these days, dining with Boy Scouts and rubbing elbows with Rotarians, because this is what the athletic director for West Virginia University does in the springtime.

He does not rattle off his résumé, which sounds as if it could be a "world's most interesting man" script. Former NFL quarterback. Rhodes Scholar finalist. World traveler. Former president and CEO of NFL Europe. Ran a Major League Soccer team that won a couple of championships. Oh, and he has a law degree, which he picked up taking night classes while in the NFL. But Luck taught his kids to be humble, which is why you'll hear very little about any of this tonight.

He steps to the center of the stage to give his speech about West Virginia athletics, and breaks code a bit, probably to break the ice.

"You know," Luck says as he grabs the microphone, "there's a whole page here dedicated to my bio. And if you go on Wikipedia right now, what you'll see under my name is simply, 'Andrew's dad.'"

The crowd laughs.

You can read the complete story here.

OK, I'm a little biased since I know David DeCastro and think any team in the NFL would be lucky to have a plug-and-play offensive lineman like him. So in my mind, there isn't much debate.

But over at ESPN Dallas, Todd Archer has a different take. He and Tim MacMahon debated which player is better for the Cowboys — with MacMahon on the side of DeCastro and Archer looking to the opposite side of the ball, opting for Alabama safety Mark Barron.

Writes MacMahon:

If it comes down to taking the best player on the board, Stanford guard David DeCastro will be an easy selection for the Cowboys with the 14th overall pick.

No argument. I've seen a mock or two that has DeCastro cracking the top 10 based on need. I don't think he'll go that high, but as Archer points out, DeCastro is likely to be a 10-year starter in the NFL.

MacMahon continues:

He's a tough, smart, 6-foot-5, 316-pound technician who is a good run blocker, especially in space, and excels in pass protection. He'd make the Cowboys' run game better and provide a clean pocket for Tony Romo.

The beauty of a player like DeCastro is that he comes from a pro-style system. Because he doesn't come from a pass-happy spread attack, he doesn't need to be re-trained to think run first. That's instinctive to a guy like DeCastro. He's just as good in pass protection, as MacMahon notes, but you want a guy whose first instinct is to take a step forward in the run game, rather than sit back and pass protect.

MacMahon concludes:

DeCastro is the one player the Cowboys could possibly pick at No. 14 who doesn't have any notable question marks. So what if guard/center isn't considered a premium position? You can't go wrong drafting a perennial Pro Bowler.

This is the one spot where I'd put on the breaks. Lots of good guards out there in the NFL. Does DeCastro have Pro Bowl potential? Absolutely. But to call a guy a perennial Pro Bowler might be jumping the gun just a little bit. I understand MacMahon is putting an exclamation point on his argument. And personally, I'd love to see DeCastro have that kind of success. But that kind of a praise might be a little premature until we see how he adjusts to the next level. Other than that, I'm on board with MacMahon.

Here's some notes and facts about the upcoming NFL draft provided by the good people at the Stanford athletic department.

• If Andrew Luck is selected first overall [and the Colts have already said he will be], he would become the fourth Stanford quarterback to have been selected with the first overall pick, joining Bobby Garrett (1954; Cleveland), Jim Plunkett (1971; New England) and John Elway (1983; Baltimore). John Brodie was selected in the second round by the San Francisco 49ers in 1957.
• Stanford is the only school to have produced four quarterbacks who were selected first overall in the NFL draft.
• Stanford has produced 18 first-round selections since 1936.
• Stanford’s last first-round selection came in 2003, when offensive tackle Kwame Harris was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers.
• The last time Stanford had two first-round selections was in 1992, when offensive tackle Bob Whitfield (Atlanta) and fullback Tommy Vardell (Cleveland) were selected with the eighth and ninth picks, respectively.
• Stanford has had two players drafted in the first round on three occasions. In addition to Whitfield and Vardell in 1992, defensive tackle Greg Sampson (Houston) and linebacker Jeff Siemon (Minnesota) were both selected in the first round in the 1972 draft, while wide receiver James Lofton (Green Bay) and offensive tackle Gordon King (New York Giants) were tabbed in the first round of the 1978 draft.
• Stanford has never had more than two players selected in the first round.
• USC is the only Pac-12 school to have produced as many as many as four first-round picks (five in 1968; 4 in 2008).
• After not having any players selected in either the 2008 or ’09 NFL drafts, Stanford had three players (running back Toby Gerhart/second round/Minnesota; defensive end Erik Lorig/seventh/Tampa Bay; and tight end Jim Dray/seventh/Arizona) drafted in 2010 and four players (nose guard Sione Fua/third/Carolina; fullback Owen Marecic/fourth/Cleveland; cornerback Richard Sherman/fifth/Seattle; wide receiver Ryan Whalen/6th/Cincinnati) in 2011.
• In addition to its four draft selections last season, wide receiver Doug Baldwin (Seattle) and linebacker Thomas Keiser (Carolina) flourished as undrafted free agents.
• The last time Stanford had more than four players drafted was in 2005, when the Cardinal had six players selected. Stanford also had six players drafted in 1944, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1985, 2002 and an all-time high of seven players in the 1936 draft.

Bill Polian discusses what people will be saying about Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III in five years.

Happy Friday the 13th.

We're back-loaded by a couple of weeks on questions since we had to make sure all of the videos Ted Miller shot during his trip got posted, so apologies for not getting to some of these sooner.

To the questions:

Malcolm in San Jose, Calif., writes: Who were the biggest pro day winners and losers?

Kevin Gemmell: I wouldn't say there were any losers. Any time ESPN comes out and televises the pro day, everyone is a winner. Any time you can get representatives from every NFL team in one spot to showcase your team, it's a good thing. In terms of winners, I would say Coby Fleener was probably the biggest winner. He got to do everything he couldn't at the combine and he did it well. His 40 time was great. He showed outstanding athleticism in the assorted tests and drills and Andrew Luck put him in a position to show off his hops. I also thought Johnson Bademosi had a pretty good pro day. He looked the part physically and might have worked himself into the draft. And, of course, Luck was a winner. He got to show off his arm strength, mobility and pure athleticism. There is only so much you can show in shorts and a T-shirt, but some of the throws he was making -- particularly the ones when he was on the move -- were impressive.

Anderson in San Francisco writes: Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't you one of the people questioning Luck's arm strength? How's the crow taste after watching his 70-yard bomb?

Kevin Gemmell: Consider yourself corrected. But thanks.

Mike in Cupertino, Calif., writes: How many scholarships does Stanford have available for next year's signing? It seems like we've had a few years of 19-22 signees. With only 85 scholarships available and most players staying on campus for five years, how much play does David Shaw and the staff have? I've heard estimates of a class of about 15 being the max we can sign.

Kevin Gemmell: I talked to someone in the athletic department about this, and he essentially said it's a "fluid" number, meaning it's not a number they want to release publicly. But you can do some of the math on your own. There aren't many seniors on the 2012 roster. There will be attrition between now and next February. Guys leaving early, medical retirees or transfers and such equals more scholarships. But rough guess right now it's about half of the class they just signed.

Ally in Stanford, Calif., writes: Any word on whether Shayne Skov has recovered from his injury? How about from his DUI? Has the university issued a statement?

Kevin Gemmell: Skov is still rehabbing, and I would imagine that rehab will take him right up to fall camp. Those kind of knee injuries take a minimum of six months, but more likely nine or 10 months to really heal properly. And then there is the mental aspect. I'm pretty sure it won't be too much of an issue with Skov because he has a linebacker's mentality: Hit first, ask questions later. But he's going to need to get comfortable with full contact again and the first time he hits the ground awkwardly, it's going to be a shock to his system. I've seen some guys completely freak out and they never are quite the same players. But I don't think that will be the case with him. Regarding the DUI, Shaw said he wanted to wait until after spring to make an announcement so it wouldn't distract from the work on the field. Based on some conversations I've had, I wouldn't expect anything more than a two-game suspension, but one game seems likely.

Mark in Alameda, Calif., writes: Predictions for the spring game? Will the offense or defense rule?

Kevin Gemmell: Well, hearing Shaw talk about the defense, it seems like the offensive line is having all kinds of problems blocking the linebackers. I think there might be some coach speak there, because reports are that the running backs look pretty darn good also. I'm sure there will be highlights from both sides of the ball. But during spring games and fall scrimmages, the defense is usually further along than the offense. And when you factor in a quarterback competition vs. a very deep and experienced front seven, I'd expect the defense to come out on top.

Victor in Denver writes: Can you rank the running backs next year?

Kevin Gemmell: I think the only thing we can count on in terms of rankings is that Stepfan Taylor is the No. 1 back -- and with good reason. Behind him is a slew of opportunistic players. Ricky Sealeis making a name for himself during spring ball. I'm partial to Seale since I covered him for three years in high school. With the exception of Reggie Bush, whom I also covered during his prep days, I always said Seale had the best vision of any high school back I've ever seen. He would find the smallest holes, disappear and then re-appear 30 yards down the field. But he lacks the game experience of Tyler Gaffney and Anthony Wilkerson. And then we have to consider Barry Sanders and what role he could play next season. And Ryan Hewitt will probably see more short-yardage carries with departure of Jeremy Stewart. Hewitt was extremely reliable last year on anything less than three yards and we know how much Shaw and Pep Hamilton love to use the fullback. So I can't give you a solid answer on rankings. I just know they are really deep and really talented.

The current number is six. That is six Pac-12 players projected to go in the first round of the NFL draft, according to Mel Kiper's latest mock draft .

They are the usual six you'd expect; Andrew Luck, David DeCastro, Jonathan Martin and Coby Fleener from Stanford along with Matt Kalil and Nick Perry from USC. The last time a school from the conference had four players taken in the first round was USC in 2008 (see list below).

Oregon's LaMichael James is the lone Pac-12 player projected for the second round (this is Kiper's first swing at a two-round mock this season).

So is six for the first round good? Bad? Par for the course? As Ted Miller is so fond of saying, glad you asked.

Since 2000, the Pac-10 (since we're not including Colorado or Utah from previous drafts) has only had six or more players taken in the first round twice. There was the monster draft in 2003 where eight Pac-10 players were taken in the first round. And then in 2008, six players were taken.

Here's a look at the conference's first round picks since 2000:

• 2011 (3): Jake Locker (Washington, No. 8 overall); Tyron Smith (USC, No. 9); Cameron Jordan (Cal, No. 24)
• 2010 (2): Tyson Alualu (Cal, No. 10); Jahvid Best (Cal, No. 30)
• 2009 (4): Mark Sanchez (USC, No. 5); Brian Cushing (USC, No. 15); Alex Mack (Cal, No. 21); Clay Matthews (USC, No. 26)
• 2008 (6): Sedrick Ellis (USC, No. 7); Keith Rivers (USC, No. 9); Jonathan Stewart (Oregon, No. 13); Sam Baker (USC, No. 21); Antoine Cason (Arizona, No. 27); Lawrence Jackson (USC, No. 28)
• 2007 (1): Marshawn Lynch (Cal, No. 12)
• 2006 (4): Reggie Bush (USC, No. 2); Matt Leinart (USC, No. 10); Haloti Ngata (Oregon, No. 12); Marcedes Lewis (UCLA, No. 28)
• 2005 (3): Mike Williams (USC, No. 10); Aaron Rodgers (Cal, No. 24); Mike Patterson (USC, No. 31)
• 2004 (3): Reggie Williams (Washington, No. 9); Kenechi Udeze (USC, No. 20); Steven Jackson (Oregon State, No. 24)
• 2003 (8): Carson Palmer (USC, No. 1); Terrell Suggs (Arizona State, No. 10); Marcus Trufant (Washington State, No. 11); Troy Polamalu (USC, No. 16); Kyle Boller (Cal, No. 19); Kwame Harris (Stanford, No. 26); Nick Barnett (Oregon State, No. 29); Nnamdi Asomugha (Cal, No. 31)
• 2002 (4, also the first year with 32 picks): Joey Harrington (Oregon, No. 3); Levi Jones (Arizona State, No. 10); Jerramy Stevens (Washington, No. 28); Robert Thomas (UCLA, No. 31)
• 2001 (4): Andre Carter (Cal, No. 7); Adam Archuleta (Arizona State, No. 20); Freddie Mitchell (UCLA, No. 25); Todd Heap (Arizona State, No. 31)
• 2000 (4): Deltha O'Neal (Cal, No. 15); Erik Flowers (Arizona State, No. 26); R.Jay Soward (USC, No. 29); Trung Canidate (Arizona, No. 31).

So to answer the question, yes, six would be an impressive haul. Here's Kiper's latest Big Board and his updated top 5 at each position .

Todd McShay also offers his latest top 32 , which doesn't include Fleener.

Jon Gruden's QB Camp with Stanford's Andrew Luck airs today at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.

The last pass Andrew Luck ever threw to Coby Fleener (at least for public consumption) was a high ball in the corner of the end zone during Stanford's pro day. Luck intentionally tossed it high so the 6-foot-6 tight end could show off his range as a dangerous red-zone target for the scouts.

The two will probably never hook up again. Right?

Not if you believe Todd McShay's latest mock draft -- which has Luck going No. 1 overall to the Indianapolis Colts and Fleener going No. 34 overall to ... wait for it... the Indianapolis Colts.

Can you just hear the call:

Jim Nantz: Second-and-10 at the Texans 18-yard line. Luck out of the shotgun, rolling to his left, pump-fakes once and fires across his body ... he's got Fleener in the corner of the end zone. Touchdown Colts! That was a rope.

Phil Simms: Wow, Jim. Great throw. Power and accuracy.

Nantz: Say, Phil. Wasn't arm strength the big issue with Luck coming out of Stanford?

Simms: (inaudible mumbling)

Nantz: What's that Phil? I think something is wrong with your mic. We'll look into that. But great throw by Luck and great catch by Fleener.

OK, maybe that's taking it a bit too far. But the Luck-to-Fleener prospect for years to come has to get folks in Indianapolis -- and a nation full of Stanford alumni -- absolutely giddy. But if I had a crisp $1 bill to bet, I'd wager that Fleener doesn't make it out of the first round.

Of course, sandwiched in between those two picks are guard David DeCastro (No. 17 to Cincinnati) and tackle Jonathan Martin (No. 19 to Chicago).

But rankings don't always go hand-in-hand with team's needs. McShay has all four Stanford players ranked in his top 32 . DeCastro and Fleener are ranked higher than their projected draft position while Martin is ranked lower than his projected draft position. Luck is pretty much crazy-glued at No. 1.

Fleener also made an appearance this week on Mel Kiper's Big Board based on an outstanding showing at the pro day.

After showing exceptional speed in the 40-yard dash plus great leaping ability, Fleener is now a size (6-foot-6, 247 pounds) and speed combination that teams can imagine splitting out the way the Patriots have with Rob Gronkowski. It's a market hungry for matchup advantages at that position, and Fleener will benefit.

Rounding out this week's projection links is Kiper's top-five ranking at each position .

It was vintage Andrew Luck. Big smile. Precision accuracy. And, as usual, doing what he can to make his teammates look good.

Following his Cirque de Pro Day yesterday on the Stanford campus, Luck was asked if there was one particular pass out of his 50 that he was most proud of. He could have picked one of the passes where he rolled to his left and threw across his body -- a difficult task even in shorts and a T-shirt. Or he could have gone with the 70-yard bomb on his final toss of the day. After all, hasn't that been the knock against Luck all along? No arm strength?

He could have singled out that throw as the cherry on his told-ya-so sundae -- the index finger over his lips followed by a symbolic "shhhhh."

But that's not Luck's style. He picked the pass just prior that, a 20-yard fade to Coby Fleener -- intentionally thrown high to make the 6-foot-6 tight end up go up for it.

"I wanted to give him a chance to jump up there and show off his hops and his stretch and show what he can do in the red zone," Luck said. "I’m secretly very proud of putting it in the right spot for him."

It's no real secret. Luck has put his teammates in the spotlight his entire career. And he did it one last time Thursday with more than 100 personnel from all 32 NFL teams on hand to watch.

Luck could have gone 10-for-50 and still would probably be the top pick in next month's NFL draft. Instead, he went 46-for-50. Three of those were dropped (sound familiar, Stanford fans?). Luck couldn't really do much with his pro day other than feed a starving media and hush a critic or two.

It was really about the other guys participating. Offensive linemen Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro are both expected to be taken in the first round and Fleener is regarded as the top tight end in the draft. But because Andrew Luck is Andrew Luck, some of his former teammates not expected to be drafted on the first day had the benefit of working out in front of every NFL team.

"That was a big focus for me," Luck said. "I'm in a unique position ... I have the chance to be drafted really high. So maybe a pro day is not going to hurt or help me as much as it could these other guys. I wanted to go out there and really showcase the strength of our receivers."

DeCastro is essentially a lock as the top interior lineman in the draft. But because Martin and Fleener didn't workout at February's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis -- Martin because of illness and Fleener because of a high ankle sprain suffered in the Fiesta Bowl -- this was their first time to record measurables for scouts.

"We might have gotten guys drafted today," said Stanford's sports performance coordinator Shannon Turley told GoStanford.com. "And a few others may have locked up spots in the first round."

Fleener, who chopped his flowing locks and apparently now goes to DeCastro's barber, was appreciative of Luck going out of his way to make him look good.

“Andrew will be a great pro because of his brain and his hard work," Fleener said. "It seems like you can give him endless amounts of information and he can process it and then access and use it during a game. I think you guys saw during the combine that he has more tools than people give him credit for as far as his physical attributes.”

And looking to return the favor, Fleener had no problem taking a jab at those who criticized Luck's arm strength.

“Well, how far did he throw it at the end today?" asked Fleener, referring to the 70-yard ball. "I think he could probably throw it further than that. Maybe in fact his arm strength isn’t his weakness after all."

A superb workout for Andrew Luck at Stanford’s pro day this afternoon won’t change much.

Neither will falling flat on his face.

And falling flat on your face while throwing against no rush and no coverage is pretty difficult for a polished college quarterback.

Luck goes into the day as the presumed No. 1 pick by the Indianapolis Colts, and -- anticlimactic though it may be -- he’ll go out of the day the same.

You can watch the workout on ESPN3 at 2 p.m. ET today.

“I would think it’s a mere formality,” one scout told me. “I didn’t write him up or study him, but just from crossover tape, you say, 'Oh my God.' He can do a lot of things. He can move. He can throw. He’s smart. He’s in a pro-style offense, so there won’t be a big learning curve …”

“He would have to have a catastrophic workout for him not to be the guy, in my opinion," said a second scout. “The one thing he has to do at his workout in the Colts' eyes is to come out healthy. That is it. He is easy to scout. He is ready to play now and will play at a high level in a short time.”

And from former scout Russ Lande of the Sporting News and GM Jr.: “I think more than anything, since they are going to both [Robert Griffin III’s] and Luck's pro days, they want to be sure about Luck's arm strength as that is a concern amongst some. Other than that, from what I have been told they have already decided on Luck and would only change their mind if something completely unforeseen were to happen.”

The Colts watched Griffin's pro day at Baylor on Wednesday. RG3 threw 51 passes over 30 minutes with music he chose playing in the background.

Such is the low-key nature of the event for a top quarterback with a strong résumé on film.

RG3 still holds out slight hope that he can overtake Luck and be taken first by the Colts.

But the Baylor quarterback doesn’t believe he put any pressure on Luck with his good performance.

"Nah, no pressure,” RG3 said. “... He'll go out and dazzle you guys like we hope we did.”

What is the Luck camp hoping to show?

"Essentially, a wide-ranging skill set, consistency and explosiveness," said George Whitfield, the quarterback guru who's been working with Luck.

The first scout I spoke with said he figures the Colts will arrive early and/or stay late to chat with Luck and perhaps take him out to dinner. Informal interview time might allow them to pick up and flesh out a subject or two they’ve previously discussed. A coach or executive who didn’t get close to Luck at the combine could have that chance now.

The second scout said he thought the get-together would offer a chance for Luck to reaffirm to the Colts that he wants to play for the franchise, and that he and his family will not do what Eli Manning did in 2004. Manning forced the Chargers to deal him after they took him No. 1 because he didn’t think San Diego would offer a good chance to win. He’s now won two Super Bowls quarterbacking the New York Giants.

But there have been no indications that Luck would pull such a power play, that he doesn’t want to follow in Peyton Manning’s footsteps in Indianapolis or that he is wary of the Colts’ ability to rebuild in a speedy fashion.

Rare is the top quarterback’s pro day that doesn’t draw raves. I expect Luck will receive the same sort of praise RG3 did.

The Colts will certainly keep that in context.

They’ll be able to negotiate a deal in advance of the April 26 first round. The rookie deals outlined in the new CBA mean that won’t be complicated, but also mean there probably won’t be a rush.

Luck will surely make an official visit to team headquarters in Indianapolis between now and then.

“You get your résumé on film,” said scout No. 1. “Your references are your coaches. Through the interview process, people around the building find out about your approach and expectations.

“All this running around in tights, I think it’s more a dog and pony show than actual football.”

The ongoing deck-shuffling that is NFL draft projections continued this week with ESPN's Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both releasing their latest respective projections.

They both agree on quarterback Andrew Luck as the No. 1 pick. No real shock there.

But taking a look at Kiper's latest Big Board, you see a pretty significant drop for offensive tackle Jonathan Martin, who slips from No. 13 last week to No. 19 this week.

Kiper isn't alone in his thinking. McShay's latest ranking of the top 32 players has Martin down to No. 24 after being at No. 17 last week.

McShay on Martin:

Martin continues to fall as other linemen emerge and his 2011 film shows him to be less dominant than expected. However, he still has the physical tools to become and NFL starter.

Kiper also dropped guard David DeCastro on his Big Board from No. 10 to 14. But DeCastro is where Kiper and McShay disagree. McShay actually moves DeCastro up one spot, from No. 14 to 13.

McShay also ranks tight end Coby Fleener at No. 29 (Kipers' Big Board only goes through his top 25).

Finally, Kiper released his Mock Draft 2.0.

Kiper on Luck and the No. 1 pick:

While the public relations drama continues between Jim Irsay and Peyton Manning, there's little drama surrounding whom the Colts will take with the No. 1 pick. I doubt Luck throws next week at the NFL combine, but his status among evaluators really isn't in question. Arm talent, strength, size, smarts, leadership, intangibles -- it's all there. The only question is whether he'll be serving an apprenticeship under Manning, but my guess right now would be that he won't have to.

Kiper has Martin headed to Arizona at No. 13 and DeCastro to the Bengals at No. 21.

Steve Young, Trent Dilfer and Ron Jaworski evaluate Andrew Luck as the projected No. 1 overall pick to the Indianapolis Colts.