Newton to enter NFL draft – is he a first rounder?
Let the months of speculation begin.
Auburn quarterback Cam Newton has announced that he will forego his senior season and enter the 2011 NFL Draft. The Heisman Trophy winner finished his junior season with 2,854 passing yards, a 66.1 percent completion rate and 30 passing touchdowns to go with 1,473 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns.
Oh, and he also led the Tigers to a national championship victory over Oregon.
Now comes the fun and nauseating part: Where will he fall in the draft? Is he a clear-cut first round pick? Is he a top 10 pick? Is he even projected to be a quarterback at the next level?
Most people would undoubtedly answer “yes” to that last question, although some pundits believe Newton will have to make the transition to tight end in the NFL. He certainly has the arm strength and size to be a great quarterback, but can he succeed in a pro-style offense? Can he be a leader? Can he read a defense? Does he have the accuracy to make all of the throws in a NFL offense? How is his football IQ?
It only took one man to believe that Tim Tebow was capable of developing into a starting quarterback for a team to select him in the first round. Granted, that man (Josh McDaniels) is now searching for work, but that’s more because he managed to trade away his two best offensive players (Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall) in two years and gave away Peyton Hillis for a third-string quarterback in Brady Quinn. Only some people criticize him for trading away draft picks in order to select Tebow…
Getting back to Newton, he’s going to wow scouts with his athleticism in pre-draft workouts but he’ll have to convince a team that he has the intelligence and work ethic needed to become a quarterback in the NFL. Because if he can’t, then he’s going to fall in the draft and he may be forced to switch positions in order to make it at the next level.
In other Auburn-related news, defensive tackle Nick Fairley is expected to announce Friday that he too is foregoing his senior year and entering the draft. If that’s the case, there’s no question that he’s a top 5 pick.
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Posted in: College Football, NFL, NFL Draft
Tags: Anthony Stalter, Cam Newton, Cam Newton NFL, Nick Fairley, Tim Tebow
If I had to bet on it my money would be on mid to late 1st round.
Oh and there’s no such thing as a national championship in college football. He won a BCS championship, or a “national championship”.
I’d say mid to late first based on the shortage of quality QBs in the NFL and his athletic ability. Also depends on how well he interviews the combine in Feb
After hearing his post-game comments, it’s obvious he’s never entered a college classroom in his life, so his Wonderlick score is gonna be down. That being said, there’s a sucker team born every year!
That’s hardly fair Jester. He had to have gone to at least a few classes, how else would he have found out who had the best laptop?
Jester and snd are just Haters. Probably said the same thing about Tebow. What’s he doing these days? Oh, that’s right. I bet Cam could succeed at quarterback, but if he didn’t, I’m sure it wouldn’t matter too much. I would draft b/c he could probably play QB, WR, ORRRR TE. He’s got more athletic ability in his pinky than Jester and snd have sense in their pea brains.
Granted I say a lot of things and can’t be expected to remember all of them, but I’m pretty sure that I’ve never cracked a joke about Tebow stealing a laptop. Just a shot in the dark there.
That aside, last I checked Tebow went 1-2 in three starts for the 4-12 Broncos, managed a 1 point home win over the worst passing defense in the league, and had John Elway publicly question whether he can be a QB in the NFL in the long term.
So…yea, not quite sure what reaction you were shooting for there.
Now me, on the other hand, am a hater! (Although I have never slammed Tebow).
Then again, Tebow, no matter how he does in the NFL, will not have to worry about giving back a Heisman, a BCS championship, vacating an entire season, or an FBI investigation.
Other than that, you’re right Tiger. Newton has the potential to be the next Vince Young.