Panthers’ head coach Ron Rivera indicated after the draft that No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton will have the opportunity to play as a rookie.

“Cam will play when Cam gets himself ready to play,” Rivera said. “I’m putting a little bit of a challenge out there for him. That’s what he thrives on.”

As long as the Panthers don’t rush Newton’s development or force him to play before he’s ready, there’s nothing wrong with handing the keys over to a rookie. Granted, it didn’t work for Carolina last year with Jimmy Clausen, but the Ravens and Falcons obviously had success with Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, both of which took their respective teams to the playoffs in their rookie years. Even though he eventually suffered an injury, Matthew Stafford had some success as a rookie in Detroit, too.

Does that mean Newton will have as much success as Flacco or Ryan? Of course not. But teams seem a little less apprehensive these days than they were 10-12 years ago when guys like Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith and Joey Harrington were ruining lives. If the Panthers can simplify the playbook and allow Newton to mainly use athletic ability next year, then maybe he/they will find some success in his rookie season.

Like any top-10 quarterback, the projections on Newton seem to be mixed. Assuming he beats out Clausen for the starting job in training camp, we may find out right away if Newton can have an impact in the pros.