Scouting Report: Andrew Luck

Name:  Andrew Luck    

Position: Quarterback

School: Stanford

Height: 6'4

Weight: 235

Age: 22

Class: Junior

Definition: Pocket Passer

Career Stats:

Yards: 9430

Comp %: 61.37

Touchdowns: 82

Interceptions: 22

Touchdown/Interception Ratio: 3.72/1

Attributes

Total: 156

Average: 14.18

Prospect Grade: Elite Prospect

Strengths

?    Toughness

?    Accuracy

?    Mechanics

?    Football IQ

?    Ball Fakes

?    Athleticism

?    Eyes

?    Quick Release

Weaknesses

?    Forces Throws

Breakdown: Strengths

Toughness

Did you not see with forty seconds left in the first half of the game against USC in 2011 when Luck laid the wood on Sareece Wright? Wright was down for a while wondering what the hell hit him. Then again against Cal in 2011, on a long run he laid out a Cal Safety that tried to tackle him with a forearm shot that would make a British Pro Wrestler proud, then he kept right on running for another twenty yards. 

Luck is a tough player who is a throwback to before Skilled Positioned Players were diva's and Quarterbacks became soft. Luck is one of the few quarterbacks who are athletic enough to run around you when needed or knock you on your posterior when you get in his way. Luck is the only Quarterback I have ever seen that will hit someone and make your jaw drop about how hard he hit them. While he was tamer in 2012 I believe that is because he didn’t have to lay the wood to poor defensive backs so he didn’t to avoid injury.

Accuracy

Anyone who has watched enough of Luck can tell that he is an extremely accurate passer. What people may fault him for is that he throws a lot of five to seven yard passes, many of which are more like extended run plays, stretch plays if you will. (Stretch plays are quick hitting short routes to the outside used to gain yards along the sidelines, much like a Toss Sweep). Luck will take what the defense gives him and when given time when he sees a man open deep he will take a shot.  West Coast Offense in it's purest form, and without Luck's accuracy that Stanford offense doesn't work. His career completion percentage is 64.39%.

For his career however there is one glaring problem in his accuracy. When the field shortens Luck's effectiveness drops. When between his opponents ten yard line and the goal line Luck was only 12/27 (44%) in 2010, fortunately ten of those twelve completions were touchdowns. In 2009 the percentage was exactly the same as he was 4/9 (44%) inside that area with three touchdowns. In 2011 those numbers rose drastically as he went 22/31 (70.9%) and had 12 touchdowns and zero interceptions.

Luck got his goal line completion ratio up from four completions for every nine passes to eleven completions out of fifteen passes. Going from 44% within the opponents nine to nearly 71% is a huge improvement for the top quarterback in the draft.   

Arm Strength

People seem to have questions about Luck's arm strength. Let me give a few examples of why his arm is good.

Orange Bowl 2010, 6:40 left in the first half. Luck is on the Virginia Tech forty yard line and throws a dart to an open receiver standing on the five yard line, the receiver walks in for a touchdown. That is a thirty five yard pass that had a lot of zip on it.

2010 versus Washington, with ten minutes to go in the first Luck stood on the far hash, on his own fourteen yard line and threw back across to the far side of the field to complete a pass to his receiver on the opposite sideline on his forty-one yard line. That is a twenty seven yard pass that went a lot further than that, with zip, to a covered receiver. I

With 2:40 left in the first quarter against USC in 2011, Luck sends an effortless lob to a receiver OVER the back shoulder of the Cornerback for a twenty-five yard gain in the air. That does not happen if someone has a bad arm, or average arm.

Mechanics

If you slow down the film and take a good look at Luck's throwing motion you will see a very fluid, overhead release, which is very important. The delivery isn't elite quick but it is still quicker than most. Then you look at where he holds the ball, perfectly at armpit level, two hands on it at all times until he goes into his windup. This is very, very important for two reasons. First reason is because keeping the ball high shortens release time which helps getting rid of the ball while being pressured. The second reason is that when you are sacked, two hands firmly on the ball where you can protect it will prevent fumbles. These two things are extremely important and Luck does them very well. The only fault I see is that he tips off his passes before he throws by patting the ball, a bad habit that can easily be corrected in time.

Next you have to look at the feet, they are a little more than shoulder width apart when he plants which allows a nice wide base. Then when he throws the ball his step is small, very short, this allows him to maintain control, stay tall, and get proper air under the ball rather than throwing it low.

Lastly you have to look at the release point. He releases the ball right around the peak of the throw, right as the ball is getting past the helmet. This is excellent because the ball will fly at a similar trajectory on every throw up to around 15 yards. If he is trying to throw over someone or to throw deep however he will release the ball at a slightly higher point allowing for the needed air.

Overall Luck's mechanics may be the best of any quarterback prospect in the last twenty years. 

Football IQ

Not just anybody can run a West Coast Offense, for most quarterbacks it takes at least two years in the system on average to learn the style of play enough to be an effective quarterback. Andrew Luck was effective his first year running the system and spectacular in his Junior campaign running the system. Luck has to have an extremely high Football IQ to do what he has done in the short time he has done it in with that offense.  

Ball Fakes

Luck has some of the best fakes I have seen in a college quarterback. Luck is very efficient in the play action fake, the fake toss, as well as a pump fake.

A great example is the 2010 game against USC with 10:30 left in the second quarter. On a designed play action draw out of what looks like a perverse combination of a West Coast Offense 62 Formation and a Pistol Formation. The Scat Back beside him ran through in front of him to lead block; the first time watching the film you think it's a strait give to the back behind him. Instead Luck kept the ball and ran around the tackle for a twenty yard gain.

Luck learned to make these types of fakes when he had Toby Gerhart as his lead back. He is the best in College Football at giving fakes like this and the skill will prove invaluable in the NFL.

Athleticism

In 2010 against Cal on 3^rd and 5 Luck morphed into Steve Young when he took off and ran from the pocket with five minutes left in the first quarter. Luck was on his own twenty two yard line, once he hit Cal's forty he hit Cal's safety with a forearm shiver, knocking the Safety to the ground as Luck streaked past, before going out of bounds at the Cal twenty two.  The ball was perfectly tucked like a running back would do and after the play Luck was jogging back to the huddle.

Now this isn’t the only time Luck did this, against Washington he broke contain on a bootleg and went for fifty-one yards in the first quarter. Andrew Luck isn't a running quarterback but if you let him out of the pocket he is a quarterback that will make you regret letting him out. I only wish he would have done as much of this in 2012.

Eyes

Always down field, always down field. What coaches pound into their quarterbacks' heads from the time they start playing. Andrew Luck learned that lesson well. Luck's eyes are always down field, always looking for an open man even when flushed from the pocket. While most quarterbacks have a huge completion percentage from the offense they play in Luck has a high one because he is always looking for an open man.

Breakdown: Weaknesses

Forces Passes

I will say this is nitpicking but it must be done. If you watch Luck against Virginia Tech in 2011 you will learn a few things. First and probably his biggest flaw is that he will force passes. Aside from his interception at 4:35 left in the first half to a guy very well covered he was nearly picked off in the third trying to avoid a sack with someone draped on his waist. Against Oregon the same year he tried to force a long pass at 5:25 left in the third quarter to a completely covered receiver which resulted in an easy interception. Luck, like many young quarterbacks tries to force passes thinking his skill will somehow will the ball into the receivers’ hands, he needs to learn that this isn't always the case. From the tape I saw he should have thrown at least three more interceptions in 2010, if Oregon could catch he would have thrown three against them alone.

SUMMARY

Luck is a rhythm passer, rolling out in rhythm, sitting in the pocket in rhythm, stepping up in rhythm. If Luck is allowed to stay in rhythm he is capable of picking apart a defense, as he proved throughout the 2010 Season, USC, Cal, Washington are just a few. Luck is a guy that doesn't force a lot of passes, he takes what the defense gives him, and when he does force a pass it usually turns into an interception. Luck always has his eyes down field, is always looking for an open man, and makes quick decisions with the ball. In his final college game against Oklahoma State Luck was as perfect as a quarterback could get both statistically and with his throws. The stat line was nearly flawless as he was 27 of 31 passing, for 347 yards, and 2 touchdowns. The only flaw in his stat line was a single interception. Luck had completions of twenty, thirty, and fifty yards in the effort and even though Stanford lost Luck cemented himself firmly as the best quarterback prospect since Mister Manning himself.

†††† ½ Star Prospect

Top 10 Prospect

Best Fits

·       Cleveland

·       Indianapolis

·       Washington