Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck was revealed as the No. 23 player on NFL Network's "Top 100 Players of 2013." How you feel about the ranking likely depends on what you believe this list is intended to measure.
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If the ranking is a reflection of Luck's performance as a rookie, his spot looks awfully high. If the list is an indication of where we believe Luck will go -- and of his total skill set -- it makes a little more sense.
Still, it's a little disarming to see Luck ranked among elite players such as Rob Gronkowski, Larry Fitzgerald and Joe Thomas. Luck is ranked 20 spots ahead of Eli Manning and nearly 40 spots ahead of Ben Roethlisberger. (And it looks like Robert Griffin III is ranked even higher than Luck.) It raises the question: Are we "crowning" this young crop of quarterbacks too soon?
Don't get me wrong. I'm a huge believer in this large group of quarterbacks 25 years old and under. They will set the pace for this league for the next decade, and I expect Luck to lead the way. But he's still a second-year pro who threw 23 touchdown passes and 18 interceptions last season.
Guys like Roethlisberger and Manning have been through a lot of ups and downs in the NFL. Defenses have adjusted to them, and vice versa, countless times. Luck, RGIII and Russell Wilson all have to show that they can excel year after year.
Luck has every attribute you'd want in a quarterback and should evolve into one of the game's elite players. We're just not sure he's there yet. It would be nice to see Luck start a few more games before anyone declares that he's already well ahead of a guy like Big Ben.
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