Locker vs. Luck

Jake Locker has a name that makes him sound like the perfect character in a soapbox spy drama. His counterpart just south of him down the West Coast, Andrew Luck, sounds like he belongs more behind the bar at an Irish pub then on the gridiron. Remember these names, because either one could be the potential number one overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft come next April. Locker, the 6'3" 238 pound quarterback from the University of Washington, could have declared for this past year's draft but chose to forgo a potential top 5 overall selection to return to the Huskies for another year and play in coach Steve Sarkisian's pro-style offense. Luck, just a redshirt freshman under center this past season, showed great poise under pressure for his age and led a fairly mediocre Stanford team to a bowl appearance (along with the help of All-American Toby Gerhart taking handoffs as the tailback in his backfield). Both these young signal callers represent a potential shift of powers in the Pac 10, with USC coming off a down year and Oregon losing much talent through suspensions and the draft, and are the headliners for a not-to-miss quarterback class in 2011. Some other QB's who could be first round picks next year: Terrelle Pryor (Ohio State), Ryan Mallett (Arkansas), and Pat Devlin (Delaware).

Jake Locker led Washington to upset wins over USC and Cal Berkeley this past season in a very successful junior campaign. He threw for 2800 yards and 21 touchdowns with no talented playmakers to help him out, and rushed for 400 yards and 7 touchdowns to help his own case. Locker is a dual-threat quarterback in every sense of the word: he can hurt you with his feet and improvise when the play breaks down. He has a punishing runnings style much like that of Tim Tebow. Unlike many running signal callers before him, Locker has an NFL-ready arm that has incredible strength and fairly good accuracy as well. On occasion Locker misses wide open receivers, but for every one of those instances there is a time where he squeezes the ball with pinpoint accuracy to a heavily covered man. Another year in college to grow in the West Coast offense the Huskies play will smooth out most kinks Locker has in his game. When watching Locker play, one can't help but compare him to Ben Roethlisberger, with his large frame and strong pocket presence. Both have winner's mentalities and natural football instinct that few possess. Like Big Ben, Locker is rather injury prone because of his relentless style of play, and to solidify the top overall spot in the draft he will have to stay healthy his senior campaign.

Andrew Luck, at 6'4" 225 pounds, has the ideal height and size for a quarterback. Under coach Jim Harbaugh, Luck led his Stanford team to an unprecedented 8 and 5 final record and a spot in the top 25. He was instrumental in their beat downs of USC, Oregon, and Locker's Washington. With Luck, one must analyze his potential over what he has accomplished because last year was his first at the helm of the Cardinal's offense (He threw for 2575 yards, 13 scores, and only 4 picks). His incredibly quick release and refined footwork make Luck hard to reach in the pocket, and it showed with him being sacked only 6 times all of 2009. Luck is a very polished and complete passer overall, and makes any throw with ease. His playing style is reminiscent to Sam Bradford's, except unlike the former Oklahoma star, Luck plays in an offense that will make the transition the NFL seamless. In college, where most quarterbacks play in a spread offense, taking shotgun snaps from center, Luck is asked to drop back regularly (which is why his footwork is so precise). This reason is why Andrew Luck could possibly challenge the more seasoned Jake Locker for the number one overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Both of these aforementioned Pac 10 signal callers are great NFL prospects and will go in the top 5 picks for next year (unless Luck chooses to return for his junior year). Locker and Luck are better quarterback prospects than some of the highly touted ones in the past few years like Sam Bradford, Jimmy Clausen, Matt Stafford, and Mark Sanchez. Locker is a complete dual-threat and Luck is a refined passer already at the ripe age of 21. On the next level, I believe that Luck will be the better player than Locker. Andrew Luck is as NFL ready of a quarterback there has been since *gulp* Peyton Manning, and has the footwork and release to match the Tennessee alum. To truly see who the best quarterback is, tune in October 30th for the matchup between Washington and Stanford at the Huskies home stadium. This game will be one not to miss, and potential looking glass into the future of the quarterback position in the NFL.

-JS