ESPN has labeled it as the “Suck for Luck” competition. The bottom feeders in the NFL hoping not to win games, but to secure the number one overall pick in the 2012 draft.

Teams in the NFL with bad records are being talked about as attempting to throw games or just being so bad that the end up as the worst team in the NFL and subsequently are awarded the number one overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. Andrew Luck quarterback at Stanford is considered the consensus number one pick. Analysts have stated that even if Luck has a bad year or is injured that he will still go number one to whoever gets the pick.

This has led to conversations that John Elway, an ex-Stanford quarterback, who now is a president for the Broncos is hoping to get Andrew Luck. That the Indiannapolis Colts, who stand at 0-8, would be willing to possibly draft Luck and trade one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time in Peyton Manning. Even that a team like the Miami Dolphins may potentially throw games to get another elite quarterback, a position the team has lacked since the retirement of Dan Marino.

So this leads me to look back at NFL history:

Since 1999 the NFL has held thirteen NFL drafts and ten times the first overall pick has been a quarterback. As of now it is still to early to tell how Cam Newton (Panthers, 2011), Sam Bradford (Rams, 2010) and Matthew Stafford (Lions 2009) although all three of these guys look to have promising futures. Outside of these three we have Eli Manning who has been a solid quarterback and has won one Super Bowl ring. Michael Vick who has proved entertaining over the years has never become a top flight quarterback in the NFL. In 2003 the Bengals drafted Carson Palmer who, before his knee injury, looked like he was moving into elite status, but since the injury hasn’t returned to that form.

Now for the really bad. JaMarcus Russel, Alex Smith, David Carr, and Tim Couch all flopped in the NFL. Whats worse most of these guys, although touted as the best quarterback in the draft, have been largely outplayed by a later pick:

In 1999 Tim Couch was drafted number one overall to the Cleveland Browns; the second pick in the draft was Donovan McNabb to the Philadelphia Eagles. McNabb’s career far and away surpasses that of Couch and his success in the league was much greater. McNabb is one of the best quarterbacks in Eagles history while Couch is a draft failure for the Browns.

In 2002 David Carr was the number one overall pick to the expansion Houston Texans. Julius Pepper went number two to the Carolina Panthers. Also, Joey Harrington and Patrick Ramsey were also taken in the first round of the draft, but it was another David, David Garrard selected in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL draft, that was the most productive quarterback from this draft.

In 2005 the talk was about whether Alex Smith or Aaron Rodgers was the better quarterback. The debate raged for weeks and culminated with the start of the draft when the San Francisco 49ers selected Alex Smith. Aaron Rodgers fell in the draft all the way to number 24 to the Green Bay Packers and although he sat behind Brett Favre for a few years he is undoubtedly the better quarterback.

In 2007 the debate raged again this time it was whether or not to draft JaMarcus Russell or Brady Quinn. The Raiders selected Russell number one overall and he is already out of the league. Quinn, like Rodgers, fell in the draft to the Cleveland Browns and has been as big of a flop as Russell. The best quarterback in the 2007 draft was second round pick Kevin Kolb.

Andrew Luck may be the consensus overall number one pick, but many NFL teams have selected quarterbacks number one overall or in the first round of the draft with aspirations that they would be the elite quarterback they needed. The only problem is that many times these players don’t pan-out and teams are left returning to the drawing board. History has shown that Luck could become an elite quarterback, but there is just as good a chance that USC’s Matt Barkley, Oklahoma’s Landry Jones, or any other top college quarterback could out-shine him in the NFL.