Christian Ponder

The Indianapolis Colts have told Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck that they will take him with the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft, according to a league source.

It's unclear precisely when the Colts informed Luck, but a league source said the team has known for weeks that Luck would be its pick. His style most closely resembles that of former Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, and he is the player Indianapolis wants to rebuild around, the source said.

The Washington Redskins will take Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III with the No. 2 pick in the draft, according to league sources.

With much of the drama seemingly removed from the top two picks, the attention turns to what the Minnesota Vikings will do at No. 3. With multiple needs, they could consider moving down to assemble more picks, or they could start to fill those needs by selecting someone such as USC offensive tackle Matt Kalil to protect young quarterback Christian Ponder.

Luck is considered to be as close as a sure thing as there has been at his position in the last decade. He's tough, accurate and has a great grasp of the game. He finished 31-7 as a starter at Stanford. His arm strength is good, but not elite. He's not the athlete that RGIII is, but his 40-yard time (4.67) ranked 4th amongst the 14 QBs that ran at the combine, so he has the speed of a Sam Bradford (4.70) or Tim Tebow (4.72), and has proven capable of making plays outside the pocket. Fantasy-wise, Luck will be a factor immediately, especially if he picks up the pro game as quickly as expected. If he lands with the Colts, he'll have an experienced receiving corps that will feature Reggie Wayne and Austin Collie. Consider him a low-end QB2 with upside, but remember rookie QBs are risky fantasy picks.