Cam Newton is getting a lot of attention as scouts rave about his pro day from this past week.
But scouts are also ignoring all the red flags that are flying up about the former Tiger.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper said it himself, “If you hit (on Newton), you could have a sensational quarterback for ten years,” Kiper acknowledged. “(But) if you miss, it sets you back three, four, five years.”
Since Newton only started for one year at Auburn, he’s now being compared to former NFL quarterback Akili Smith
Smith went down as one of the NFL’s biggest busts in draft history. After one year as the Oregon Duck starting quarterback, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1999. After accumulating just three wins in 17 starts, he was released by the Bengals and ended his career in the CFL for Calgery Stampeders.
Smith threw five touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Hopefully Newton can do better.
Cam Newton and Akili Smith both treated their collegiate career and NFL Combine like a job interview. But which employee will be hired when you hire Newton?
Everybody’s been in a job interview where you really want the job. So you may lie or exaggerate so that you can get it.
“Will you work nights and weekends?”
“Yes I will.”
“How about holidays?”
“No problem. I don’t like spending time with my family anyways.”
But when you get the job, you don’t do a single thing you promised in the interview.
And that’s why I laugh when NFL analysts and commentators tag a college player as a “sure thing”. Smith was one of those players that was highly rated and praised but turned out to be lying through his teeth during the job interview.
Is Cam Newton lying in his job interview? Only time will tell.
But even if his interview was outstanding, I’m not going to put my NFL franchise in the hands of somebody who considers himself an icon.
"I see myself not only as a football player, but an entertainer and icon,” Newton said as noted by Sports Illustrated's Peter King during a phone call he had with the quarterback.
Out of all the positions on the field, I don’t want my quarterback thinking he’s an icon. I want my quarterback humble and down-to-earth. Not with his head in the clouds.
What other quarterback thinks highly of himself? Vince Young.
"I'm going to go into the organization, the team, and compete. That's all I can do, and let them make their own decision after that," Young said. "Definitely I am a starting quarterback, an elite quarterback in the NFL. I want to go ahead and start. But like it always is, the coaches have the last word."
Ladies and gentlemen, the word you should key on there is ‘elite’. Newton thinks he’s an icon, Young thinks he’s elite. I don’t want either of those men leading my team whatsoever.
Bouncing from college to college, cheating allegations and suspensions aren’t anything to ignore. You can count the true elite quarterbacks in the NFL on one hand, and none of them have ever been criticized about their character.
Nobody on this Earth would like to be compared to Young and Smith. The two quarterbacks were drafted high, but ultimately weren’t the franchise players that teams thought they’d be.
The high ceiling on Newton brings him a lot of attention. In order for a team to draft Newton, they’re going to have to ignore the numerous red flags that are currently waving in the wind. Like Kiper said, he can help your team for the next ten years. But if I were to put my money on it he’s more likely to set them back, just like Young and Smith did to their franchises.
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