“Andrew Luck is the No. 1 pick, no matter who has it,” said Jack Mula, a former agent and a member of the New England Patriots’ personnel department who now advises some of college football’s elite teams. “If a new regime comes in, it’s pretty well established new people like to win with their people. People make moves in order to get their people on the roster. If history is any indicator, with a new regime in St. Louis, perhaps they feel they want Luck over Bradford.”

If the Rams stick with Bradford, they will trade the first overall pick. With the new rookie wage system in place, the No. 1 pick is more attractive than ever before (remember, Cam Newton got about half the guaranteed money Bradford did in his rookie contract), and the Rams could receive, perhaps, three first-round picks, a haul that could surround Bradford with elite talent for years.

The teams most desperate for a quarterback, like the Miami Dolphins and the Washington Redskins, would be tempted to do anything necessary to get Luck. But if the Rams opted to draft Luck, Bradford could be available in a trade, also an enticement for teams. (Another factor: will the former Kansas City Chiefs executive Carl Peterson, a close friend of the Dolphins’ owner, Stephen Ross, have a prominent role in decision making about the draft even though Jeff Ireland will remain as general manager?)

While Matt Barkley’s decision last week to remain at the University of Southern California affects the depth of the quarterback pool, it does not change the value of the first overall pick, say Mula and Charley Casserly, a former executive with the Houston Texans and the Redskins. That is because Luck will be the first pick no matter how many quarterbacks are in the draft. After him, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, the Heisman Trophy winner, will probably be the second quarterback taken. But after Luck is picked, teams will have to determine who fits in best with their systems.