Andrew Luck wants to be the first pick, and he wants to play

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has been the wire-to-wire favorite to be selected first overall in the 2012 NFL Draft. Luck expressed his desire to be the first player off the board this week in an interview with the Indy Channel.

"Nothing's set in stone, but as a competitive guy, yeah, you'd love to be No. 1," Luck told the Indy Channel. "You train for it. You feel like it validates your body of work in college."

The Indianapolis Colts will likely grant his wish at the end of April. Peyton Manning's future with the team is uncertain, and it's tough to pass on a quarterback prospect like Andrew Luck. But in addition to his desire to be the top pick, Luck has also shown confidence in his ability to start immediately, according to an interview with ESPN.

"I think every competitor wants to play, every down, every play," Luck told ESPN. "So, of course, who wouldn't want to start?"

In addition to everything on the field that makes Luck such a strong prospect, scouts will love to see this type of subtle confidence from the Heisman finalist. He's very level headed for a kid just removed from college.

Peyton Manning is the only one standing in the way of Luck being the opening day starter in Indianapolis. Colts' owner Jim Irsay has quite the decision to make regarding the future of his franchise.