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The inevitable is now official. Former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is an Indianapolis Colt.

Commissioner Roger Goodell had announced the 2012 NFL draft was open and Luck was on the phone with the Colts no more than 15 seconds later.

He got big hugs from head coach David Shaw and teammate Coby Fleener as he made his way to center stage.

"It was everything I thought it would be," Luck told ESPN's Suzy Kolber about the experience of being picked No. 1 overall. "I feel so blessed, so fortunate to be in this situation. I can't wait to start with the Colts."

And what can Indianapolis fans expect from Luck following a 2-14 season?

"Hope for the best," Luck said. "We'll come in and work hard. I know there are a lot of great guys in the locker room already. I feel so honored and so grateful to be able to represent this city now and be part of a team."

Luck becomes the fourth Stanford quarterback selected No. 1 overall, joining Bobby Garrett (1954), Jim Plunkett (1971) and John Elway (1983). Stanford is the only school that has produced four quarterbacks taken No. 1 overall.

Other Pac-12 players:

• Despite a trade, the Minnesota Vikings still got the man they were targeting all along, USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil. Cleveland traded up to the No. 3 spot where the Browns took Alabama running back Trent Richardson. The 6-foot-6, 306-pound Kalil went to the Vikings with the No. 4 pick. He becomes the 76th first round draft pick in USC history and the 22nd USC Trojan offensive lineman drafted in the first round. He's the highest drafted USC lineman since Tony Boselli (1995, second overall).
• Then, there was a long, somewhat surprising lull for the conference. Stanford guard David DeCastro, whom most mock drafts had going in the teens, slipped down to No. 24 where the Pittsburgh Steelers got some pretty good value with the No. 1 guard in the draft. DeCastro was the third offensive lineman taken after Kalil and Iowa offensive tackle Riley Reiff, who went one pick earlier at No. 23 to the Detroit Lions.
• Between the picks of Kalil and DeCastro, there were 13 defensive players taken to just six offensive. That run on defense benefited USC defensive end Nick Perry, who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers at No. 28. He'll join former Trojan Clay Matthews in the Packers' 3-4 scheme. Perry was considered a first/second-round tweener but lands in a pretty good spot.
• With just those four being taken, Fleener and Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin are still on the board. Both were considered potential first round picks -- but Martin's stock had been sliding over the last few weeks while Fleener's star was on the rise. Once thought to be a pipe dream a couple of weeks ago, might we see the Luck-to-Fleener connection in Indianapolis after all?

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.

Happy Friday. First, thanks for the kind words last week. I'm recovering nicely with the love of a good woman, a rambunctious 10-month-old boy and my trusty beagle at my side. The Kevin/Kevina jokes were pretty good and 51tj gets a tip of the cap for his Andrew Luck reference-hacking skills. Well played, sir.

On to this week's questions.

Adam in Newark, Calif., writes: Thanks for the Q&A with Wayne Lyons. But do you think one player can make that much of a difference on defense?

Kevin Gemmell: I actually think cornerback is the one true position where one player can make a massive difference. If Lyons establishes himself as a lock-down corner, that takes away half of the field in the passing game. But that's a big if, and we probably won't see that next year. He said it himself in the Q&A -- he doesn't have a film resume yet. He's going to have to grind this year and earn that name. He's probably going to be challenged a lot this season. How he responds to those challenges will dictate how he's treated by offensive coordinators over the next few seasons. So to come full circle, yes, I believe one player can make all of the difference. But if Lyons is said player, it won't happen until later in his career.

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Michael in New York City writes: Kevin, this speaks for itself. First Nike ad for Mr. Luck. I've only watched it 17 times.

Kevin Gemmell: I watched it a couple of times. I always hated the pun off his name. It's so 2009. I'm sure he rolled his eyes a couple of times, too, after reading the script and they probably told him to just do it. But nevertheless, it's a cool spot.

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Reed in Mercer Island, Wash., writes: I'm a Husky fan, that wishes Stanford would go back to being average. I'm curious if you have an opinion on how Andrew Luck will react to the NFL pass rush? I have "great respect" for him as an athlete and he seems like a really humble kid. My only question on him is that he has never dealt with a pass rush. He played behind fantastic lines at Stanford all three years and barely got his uniform dirty.

Kevin Gemmell: I think the answer lies in the question. He handled the pass rush extremely well in college and that's why he rarely got his uniform dirty. He has an excellent release, gets rid of the ball quickly and often has the ball in the air before the receiver turns on the break. That's what he's going to have to do in the NFL. There were times when I saw him get rattled -- the Oregon game comes to mind. But for all of the physical tools Luck has, it's really his cerebral game that is outstanding. He spent his entire college career working with David Shaw, who cut his teeth training quarterbacks to avoid the pass rush in the AFC North. You can't get much better preparation than that. He'll take his licks, but I'd expect when he's a bit more NFL seasoned, he'll handle it all extremely well.

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Stacey in San Jose, Calif., writes: Kevin, if you were an NFL general manager and had to choose between Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro, who would you take?

Kevin Gemmell: Ugh ... putting me on the spot, Stacey. And Matt Kalil is unavailable? I've always held the belief that if I was going to build a team from the ground up, I'd start by 1) protecting my quarterback and 2) getting to the other guy's quarterback. That's where the game is won and lost, in my humble opinion. There seem to be some questions surfacing about Martin of late. Is he a left tackle? Is he a right tackle? Does he have the frame for left tackle? I think so. But right now, DeCastro seems more like the sure-thing pick. You know exactly what you're getting with him -- a bulldozing interior lineman who is also outstanding in pass protection. Both are great guys and I really enjoyed getting to know them. But there are fewer questions with DeCastro at this point.

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Enjoy the hoops this weekend. My bracket has already found its way to the fireplace.

Mel Kiper's Big Board is out -- along with updated mock drafts from Kiper and Todd McShay.

First, taking at look at McShay's mock draft and Kiper's mock draft, they agree on the top three: Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck to the Indianapolis Colts, Oklahoma State wide receiver Justin Blackmon to the St. Louis Rams and USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil to the Minnesota Vikings.

Both have praise for Luck:

McShay: It's never easy to say goodbye to a legend like Peyton Manning -- a Super Bowl winner and the face of the franchise since his first day in training camp -- but using the No. 1 overall pick on a once-in-a-generation prospect like Luck is an opportunity the Colts can't pass up. Luck's NFL-ready skill set and demeanor sets Indianapolis up for another decade-plus with one of the best quarterbacks in the league.

Kiper: No change here, even with the change to the future of Peyton Manning. Luck was going to land with the Colts; it was only a matter of whether he'd be serving an apprenticeship. I'm interested to see if he gets a deal done well before the draft so he can dive into the playbook. You know the scouting report. Arm strength, talent, size, smarts, leadership, intangibles -- it's all there. Luck is currently working hard out in Palo Alto to further refine his talents.

And for Kalil:

McShay: The Vikings just missed out on being able to cash in with the second overall pick, but with Baylor QB Robert Griffin III likely to be the pick there, Minnesota is in a position to finally begin shoring up its offensive line with an elite prospect. Kalil is one of the top left tackles I have ever evaluated coming out of college, with a skill set equal to Joe Thomas and a mean streak to go with it.

Kiper: This is one I'm going to stick with. I've liked the pick since the first mock, and I don't see a reason to change. Minnesota needs an upgrade at left tackle, and Kalil is the rare one who could step into that position right away at the NFL level. There's a lot of talk about which quarterback will go where right now, but this pick is about keeping Christian Ponder upright for the Vikings. They won't know what they have unless they can block for him. And it's obvious this will help the running game, too.

But Pac-12 fans -- especially those of the Cardinal persuasion -- will notice one major difference between the two mocks. One has Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin listed. The other doesn't.

McShay has Martin going No. 13 overall to the Arizona Cardinals. Kiper, however, doesn't have Martin in the first round. This is the first time we haven't seen Martin in the first-round projections. During the season, Martin was widely regarded as the No. 2 offensive tackle off the board behind Kalil. McShay has Martin as the third OT off the board. Kiper has three offensive tackles listed in the first round. In his ranking of the top five players by position, he has Martin listed as the fifth tackle.

The other Pac-12 discrepancy is with USC's Nick Perry. Kiper lists him as a first-round pick at linebacker. Perry, however, doesn't appear on McShay's board. Both include Stanford offensive guard David DeCastro and Stanford tight end Coby Fleener.

Looking at Kiper's Big Board, Martin no longer appears in his top 25, but Oregon running back LaMichael James makes his first appearance.

Sprinter's speed, and enough size to not be considered merely an occasional home run threat. James is explosive, has good hands and won't shy away from running between the tackles.

Bob in Omaha writes: [David] Shaw said that the QB competition is open -- but sometimes that's just how coaches talk. You've got to think Brett Nottingham has the lead. How surprised would you be if Nottingham didn't win the job?

Kevin Gemmell: I can't say I'd be too blown away if one of the other guys wins the job. It's not like it's Nottingham and four scrubs who are there to fill out a jersey. These were all legitimate, highly respected high school quarterbacks. Remember, Nottingham was the No. 4 quarterback coming out of spring ball last year and once Josh Nunes got hurt, he beat out Robbie Picazo for the backup job. Shaw speaks highly of Kevin Hogan. I saw Evan Crower play in high school. Kid's good. So no, it wouldn't be totally surprising if someone else wins out. With that said, yes, you have to believe that Nottingham has at least a tiny edge -- not just because he was the backup quarterback last year -- but because he held on to the backup role all season. No doubt, he was pressed by other guys during the course of the year. How much? I honestly can't say because practices were closed, and we don't know how much Nunes' foot injury lingered during the year. But just because you win a job in August doesn't mean you're guaranteed to still have it in November. The fact that Nottingham did is a piece of the puzzle that I think often gets overlooked.

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Eric in Bangkok writes: Are we likely to see more three-tight-end stuff in Stanford's future? Or was that a temporary response to a specific context?

Kevin Gemmell: As long as Shaw is the head coach and Pep Hamilton is the offensive coordinator -- I can assure you the three-tight-end package doesn't leave with Coby Fleener. Now, will they run it as frequently as they did last season? Probably not. You adjust the scheme to fit the talents of your team. And when you have a Fleener-type player, you find ways to let him stretch the field. Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo are great tight ends. But Fleener did some things better than them -- just as they do some things better than Fleener. We saw Ryan Hewitt step up and play more tight end when Ertz went down. Wouldn't be surprised if there are a few packages in place next season with him as the third tight end and Geoff Meinken at fullback. Without Fleener, however, I think you have to start getting the wide receivers more involved in the passing game. Stanford was able to rely on the tight ends because of what that trio could do on the field at the same time. With the dynamics shifting, I think it has to be a priority for the wide receivers to take a more prominent role in the passing attack.

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Tom in Menlo Park, Calif., writes: Hey Kevin, I've seen it mentioned numerous times with respect to Jonathan Martin & David DeCastro's draft prospects that OGs like DeCastro do not typically go in the first round (making it all the more impressive that DeCastro is projected to) whereas it is common for OTs. Can you discuss a bit about the reasons for the greater demand for tackles in terms of NFL team needs and the different skill sets for the two positions?

Kevin Gemmell: As in most things, demand is dictated by supply -- and good offensive tackles are in rarer supply than guards -- especially in the NFL. Once you get to the pro game, the best defensive linemen are typically the faster, more athletic guys on the outside. So you have to have your best athletes on the outside to hold them off. This requires a different type of player -- including physical frame. Guards like DeCastro have to be more explosive for pulling. DeCastro is a born run-blocker. Martin is better in pass protection. That's his physical makeup. Consider their combine measurables. Both checked in at 6-foot-5 -- DeCastro at 316 pounds and Martin at 312. But Martin has almost an inch and a half on DeCastro in reach. He's a longer player, and that's the physical makeup needed for tackles. Guys like Martin and USC's Matt Kalil are immovable objects -- and that's what's needed in the NFL. Plus, it's always easier to give help in a blocking scheme to the inside than it is the outside. You have fullbacks and running backs that can offer assistance on blitzes and centers can double-team on the inside. I'm not saying that guards are inferior players to tackles. Because they aren't. They just have a different frame and skill set required for the position. You hear cornerbacks use the expression "being out on an island." A lot of times it's the same for tackles -- who are out on the island one-on-one against the best pass-rushers. You're more likely to see college tackles move over to guard than vice versa. There are always exceptions, but that's the conventional thinking.

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John in Phoenix writes: I attended the same high school as Anthony Wilkerson, so I'd really like to see him do well. I thought he showed signs of brilliance last year in his limited playing time. He looks explosive and powerful and wondered why he didn't get more carries. What do you think his role will be next year with the return of [Tyler] Gaffney and [Stepfan] Taylor, and now with the addition of [Barry] Sanders?

Kevin Gemmell: I think the biggest issue with Wilkerson last season was that he just never really got enough carries in a game to get into a rhythm. He'd have a lot of 1-yard, 2-yard runs in one game and then bust out a 38-yard run the next game. He started as the first guy off the bench to spell Taylor, but Gaffney moved up the food chain -- and a lot of that had to do with the wildcat package. Again, we're not at practices so we can't really judge what's going on behind the scenes. But the coaching staff saw a reason to give more carries to Gaffney. As for next year, it's just a matter of making the most of his opportunities. Shaw has shown he likes to play freshmen running backs, so if Sanders does play, it's going to cut into Wilkersons' carries even more. Taylor, who accounted for almost 50 percent of the carries last year, is going to be the workhorse again. Wilkerson needs to find his niche. For Gaffney, it started as the wildcat guy and grew into a more prominent role. Jeremy Stewart was the short-yardage guy. As long as Wilkerson is tagged as that change-of-pace guy, he's probably not going to see those 10-15 carries each week that would allow him to get into the flow of a game.

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Sam in New York writes: Are any of Stanford's incoming recruits enrolled early? Been looking around all over the web but haven't found anything. Interested to know if anyone from this talented class will be playing spring ball.

Kevin Gemmell: Shaw actually isn't a big fan of the early-admission process. Back in December, he talked about a study he and Jim Harbaugh did and they found that high school players entering early really had no significant advantage -- and were in fact more likely to get injured. He'd rather they take the extra six months -- enjoy the high school experience, play a winter or spring sport, and then get on the Stanford training regimen in the summer.

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Peter in Nor Cal writes: Hey Kevin, would you take a crack at predicting the state of affairs for Stanford Football 3, 5, and 10 years down the line? What will our record be, who will be coaching, what (if any) bowl will we be in, etc. Thanks for all the reporting on Stanford.

Kevin Gemmell: Boy, where's Carnac the Magnificent when you need him (everyone under the age of 30, start Googling). OK, let's see. Well, three years down the line I'd expect the Cardinal will be looking for another outstanding offensive line class because the bulk of this year's group will be heading to the draft. I'd be shocked if Pep Hamilton and Derek Mason haven't gotten head coaching gigs somewhere in three to five years. I'd imagine Shaw is still the head coach in five years. The lure to return to the NFL might tempt him five years from now -- especially if he's offered an offensive coordinator or head-coaching job. But unless he has back-to-back 0-12 seasons and a heap of NCAA violations, I don't see him ever getting fired. He's an alumnus, he loves the school and the program and if he's still head coach in 2022, I wouldn't be all that surprised. As for records -- well, with this recruiting momentum, I don't see any sub-.500 seasons on the horizon for the next five years. But after that, who knows? One off recruiting class can set a program back half a decade. I think this is a good staff with good recruiters. I see no reason why they don't keep the momentum they've established rolling along. As for future bowl games -- if they can crack a BCS game within five years of the post-Andrew Luck era, I'd say Shaw has done a heck of a job. This year's offensive-line class is going to pay off in recruiting quarterbacks for the next couple of years, so you can expect some of the top QBs -- who also meet the Cardinal academic standards -- will give Stanford a good, long look.

With the combine completed, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay have updated their respective rankings and boards. Kiper also offers his winners from the combine and those leaving us with questions.

Some of the Pac-12 winners include LaMichael James (Oregon, RB), Coby Fleener (Stanford, TE) and Matt Kalil (USC, OT).

If Fleener runs in the 4.5 range at his pro day, he could be in the first round. The Giants make sense. He is now an option as the first tight end off the board.

Question mark players include Vontaze Burfict (ASU, LB), Cliff Harris (Oregon, DB) and Marc Tyler (USC, RB).

(On Burfict) He already carries attitude questions, and Burfict needed to turn heads with workouts. Heads were turned, but for the wrong reason. He looked sluggish, to put it mildly. Once a first-round guy, he could be in the middle rounds if he doesn't recover.

Yikes.

Kiper also updated his top five players by position. The conference is well represented with Andrew Luck (Stanford, QB), James, Rhett Ellison (USC, FB), Fleener, Kalil, Jonathan Martin (Stanford, OT), David DeCastro (Stanford, OG), Burfict and Bryan Anger (Cal, P) and appearing in the top three of their respective position groups.

Finally, the rankings. No shock that Kiper and McShay both have Luck as the No. 1 overall pick. Here's McShay's take:

Luck's combine workout showed he is more athletic than most thought, and combined with his once-in-a-generation skill set he appears to be a lock as the No. 1 overall pick to the Colts.

Other conference players appearing in McShay's top 32 are Kalil, DeCastro, Martin and Brock Osweiler (ASU, QB).

While McShay ranks Robert Griffin III second, Kiper has Kalil in the No. 2 spot.

Kalil confirmed that he is a good athlete for his position. The tape is great, and it's hard to see him falling outside the top five. The plus for him is he might not need time to develop at right tackle, a common break-in spot for many left tackles.

Mel Kiper's weekly Big Board has been updated again , with no change in the top two spots. The Pac-12 owns them both with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck locked in to the No. 1 spot and USC tackle Matt Kalil holding steady at No. 2

But a third Pac-12 player cracked the top 10 this week with Stanford guard David DeCastro climbing from the No. 12 to the No. 10 spot.

Here's Kiper on DeCastro:

Extremely consistent, plus athletic and powerful in the run game. A rare guard who could get some looks in the first round. In fact, this is as high as we've seen an interior lineman in a while.

Stanford tackle Jonathan Martin and ASU linebacker Vontaze Burfict also appear in Kiper's latest top 25.

As a refresher, here's how Kiper rated the top five players at each position.

Who are the potential breakout running backs in 2012? Glad you asked, because ESPN's KC Joyner tackled that very question and a pair of Pac-12 running backs landed on his top five list .

USC running back Curtis McNeal checks in at No. 1 overall. With a moderate strength of schedule and four returning offensive linemen, here's what Joyner had to say about McNeal:

Losing first-round NFL draft pick Matt Kalil at left tackle is a negative, but getting the other four starting offensive linemen back means the quality portion of these numbers can be replicated. And since McNeal is likely to get a significant portion of the 125 carries Marc Tyler (lost to graduation) posted last season, it means McNeal's chances of getting an increased quantity of carries are also quite strong.

Not far behind McNeal in the No. 3 spot is Oregon running back Kenjon Barner, who is expected to have three of his big men back in front of him next season.

Here's Joyner's take:

The Ducks' run-blocking win rate was also quite impressive, so much so that Barner would likely have ranked higher than this were it not for Oregon losing two starting offensive linemen to graduation. Losing quarterback Darron Thomas also could cause some early transition issues, even though Bryan Bennett, Thomas' likely replacement, should be able to put together a strong season.

And even though he's not on Joyner's list, I'm going to throw Stanford running back Stepfan Taylor in there as well. Maybe I'm biased because I'm the Stanford blogger. Or maybe it's that the guy has rushed for back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons while in a four-back rotating system and no one outside of Palo Alto seems to recognize the skills. (Actually, five backs when you consider Stanford's use of the fullback.)

Granted, this list is "breakout" backs. But Taylor's contributions continually seem to get overlooked. So much so that every year it feels like he has to have another "breakout" season just to get recognition. So keep an eye on that guy also in 2012.

We knew Andrew Luck was in. This week, offensive linemen Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro officially declared themselves for the NFL draft. Here's how Mel Kiper Jr. projects the three on his latest Big Board, followed by Todd McShay's Top 32.

• No. 1 Andrew Luck: A typically brilliant, accurate, understated game for Luck to finish his Stanford career. I don't foresee a situation in which he relinquishes this spot before the draft. Has total package: arm strength, size, smarts and demeanor.
• No. 9 Jonathan Martin: Martin is officially in. Trusted in the passing game as the blindside protection for Luck, he also does a great job in the run game. Given his athleticism, he has a chance to develop into a fantastic player on the left side.
• No. 13 David DeCastro: Extremely consistent and is athletic and powerful in the run game. A rare guard who could get some looks in the first round. DeCastro, along with Martin and Luck, is officially in the draft.

Now here's McShay's take on the three.

• No. 1 Andrew Luck: Finished his college career with a bang, showcasing his entire skill set while completing 27 of 31 passes for 347 yards and two scores in the Fiesta Bowl. Next stop, Indianapolis?
• No. 10 Jonathan Martin: Martin is not the same pass-blocker as (USC's Matt) Kalil, but his strength and power in the running game give him the look of a solid NFL right tackle for years to come.
• No. 15 David DeCastro: DeCastro was the most dominant interior lineman in the nation in 2011, and he's the kind of physical lineman capable of being an NFL starter from the first minute of training camp.

Mel Kiper's latest Big Board is out and -- as expected -- no movement this week from either of Stanford's players. Andrew Luck remains at No. 1 and offensive tackle Jonathan Martin is at No. 6.

Writes Kiper:

Another great week, and while Luck has some good targets, they aren't elite; he makes everyone look better.

Martin actually missed some time in against USC with an ankle injury, but returned and was on the field for the fourth quarter drive and the overtime session.

I thought both of USC's Matts -- Barkley and Kalil -- helped their causes. Quarterback Matt Barkley (No. 10) pretty much went throw-for-throw with Luck and showed his quick release, which was one reason why Stanford's vaunted pass rush wasn't able to register a sack. Another reason was the left tackle, Matt Kalil (No. 2) who kept Stanford's pass rushers at bay most of the game.

Mel Kiper's latest big board is out and once again it's Stanford offensive tackle Jonathan Martin on the move. After dropping from sixth to seventh last week, Martin was back in the six-hole. Best guess is that when the running backs go for 446 yards against a defense that had been allowing less than 100 yards per game, the offensive line is probably going to get a little recognition.

Writes Kiper:

Trusted in the passing game as the blindside protection for [Andrew] Luck, Martin does a great job in the run game given his athleticism, and Stanford has benefited. He gets to the second level, and moves so well.

Left tackles were a hot topic this week on the Farm because Stanford travels to face USC, which boasts its own marquee left tackle in Matt Kalil, who ranks No. 2 on Kiper's Big Board. Of course, Luck maintained his top spot and we shouldn't expect him to slide anytime soon.

Kiper's take on Kalil:

He'll remind you of former No. 1 overall pick Jake Long, an athletic left tackle who has the full set of skills, able to move his feet and hands well as a pass-blocker, then move defenders in the run game. Elite.

Luck was asked about Martin this week and, seeing as he's only been sacked twice this season, he had nothing but good things to say.

"You don't want to be constantly looking over your shoulder," Luck said. "There is a level of trust and confidence and he does a great job every day. He goes to work. It's an honor to be able to play behind him."

Head coach David Shaw also weighed in on Martin.

"For the head coach and quarterback, it helps them sleep at night," he said. "It's the reason they made a movie ("The Blind Side"). It's the premier position on the offensive line for a right-handed quarterback. [Luck] knows he doesn't have to be peeking over his shoulder on a drop-back pass, he can keep his eyes down the field. If there is any leakage or pressure in his face, Andrew can move the pocket. [USC quarterback Matt] Barkley can do it as well."

If there was one criticism from professional scouts regarding Martin, it's that his run blocking was a step behind his pass blocking.

"He's gotten better," Shaw said. "I think the last two or three games he's been a lot more physical and finished runs down the field. We don't pay too much attention to what NFL scouts say. For us, he's been great and he's got a big challenge this week and I know he'll be up for it."