We've known it for days and the Indianapolis Colts made it official Thursday night: Andrew Luck is the first-overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft and he will be the Colts' next franchise quarterback, succeeding Peyton Manning, who spent 14 seasons in Indy, including a Super Bowl victory following the 2006 season. According to an ESPN report, Luck will sign a four-year contract expected to be worth more than $22 million and is based on the deal signed by the 2011 first-overall selection, Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.
Luck will join a Colts team that will feature mostly new faces in 2012. Wideout Reggie Wayne and defensive end Dwight Freeney remain, but tight end Dallas Clark, running back Joseph Addai, center Jeff Saturday and Manning were all released this offseason. Indianapolis is coming off a two-win season and it's reasonable to believe that things will get worse before they get better. After all, Manning won just three games as a rookie. But recent history suggests that Luck could have success early, although anything more than five or six wins sounds more like wishful thinking than trenchant analysis.
*Follow every pick of the 2012 NFL Draft with the CBSSports.com Draft Tracker.
For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07.
