DeMarcus Ware says Andrew Luck is the toughest quarterback to defend in the NFL

Though Andrew Luck is just 25-years old and has just three NFL seasons under his belt, he has already drawn the respect and recognition of his peers around the league.

Broncos pass rusher Demarcus Ware is one of them.  As a member of the Broncos he faced Luck twice in the 2014 season, including in the playoffs when the Colts defeated them in Denver in the Divisional Round.  Appearing on NFL Network's Around the NFL recently, Ware was asked who the toughest quarterback to defend in today's NFL is, and he said it's Luck.

"I think the toughest quarterback that guys are facing is probably Andrew Luck," he said.  "He's one of those guys where usually a quarterback will try to scramble out of the pocket.  He doesn't.  He scrambles into the pocket.  And so he'll let guys corral and get outside of him, but he'll go into the pocket and throw a javelin.  So he's one of those guys who's hard to defend."

Regardless of where you'd rank him among NFL quarterbacks (hint: he's near the top), it's perfectly understandable why opposing defenders would consider him one of the toughest to defend.  He has a terrific arm and can make any throw on the field, and he's obviously gotten things done in the passing game so far in his career, as he led the league in touchdown passes in 2014 and broke Peyton Manning's single-season franchise record for passing yards.  But Luck also brings an added dimension to the game that makes him so dangerous in that he can make plays with his feet as well, moving out of the pocket but also in the pocket.  He can make people miss and create opportunities that otherwise aren't there.

If you were to talk about the prototypical quarterback, you'd likely come up with a player that looks a lot like Andrew Luck, and because of that it makes him so tough to defend.  According to DeMarcus Ware, he's the toughest player at the position to defend in the NFL.