NFL Draft 2011: Why Cam Newton Should Not Be Drafted by Carolina Panthers

Despite the NFL lockout, the 2011 NFL draft is one month away, and the Carolina Panthers will begin on the clock.

The recent speculation regarding the first overall pick seems to be favoring quarterback Cam Newton. Since winning the Heisman trophy and a national championship at Auburn, Newton's stock is rising through the month of March after his pro day and combine.

For many reasons, it makes sense why the draft stock of Newton is rising. Cam shows rare athleticism for a quarterback, along with finding success in his first year as a starting quarterback.

With the first pick in the draft, the Panthers could go in a few different directions. The direction at the quarterback position is a big question mark, and a few holes on the defensive side need to be addressed.

There is also an issue of consistently putting fans in the seats in Carolina, which could convince the Panthers management to select Cam Newton.

This is the only logical reason the Panthers are considering taking Newton. Besides the ability of bringing attention to this low-market franchise, I see no point in drafting the Auburn quarterback.

To me, I don't see any sense behind the move. Do the Panthers need to find a future quarterback? Yes, no doubt about it. Jimmy Clausen doesn't seem to have the potential to be a leader of a football team.

However, give the kid a break. Clausen was ridiculed heading into the draft for his attitude and saw his draft stock fall because of it. He was thrown into an offense that did not involve much offensive power to begin with (Steve Smith not much of a factor last season).

Let's not forget head coach John Fox knew he wasn't getting a new contract, and so did the rest of the locker room.

Despite not having confidence in Clausen, I think it's worth giving him one more chance this season. There's no reason not to.

The best possible quarterback in this years draft, Andrew Luck, stayed for his senior year at Stanford. None of the other quarterbacks in this draft are ready to start right away, especially Cam Newton.

Despite his potential, Newton is not poised to be the game one starter for this Panthers team. His accuracy and his overall intelligence as a quarterback is a big question mark.

At the college level, any player can take over a game by using their athleticism as an advantage. In the NFL, it is a completely different atmosphere.

Besides, this year's top 10 will be filled with defensive players. New Panthers head coach Ron Rivera has been a great defensive-minded coach and is remembered during his years with the Bears and most recently the San Diego Chargers.

I am sure he wants to turn his unit around into one of the best defenses in football, and that needs to start this year.

Rivera can address one of the few defensive needs with his first overall pick. He can select defensive tackle Nick Fairley to help anchor the front line of the Panthers. Da'Quan Bowers, the dominant pass rusher out of Clemson, could be brought in to replace Julius Peppers.

Though it has never been done before, the Panthers could take a cornerback first overall by selecting Patrick Peterson. Peterson is the best talent we have seen in a cornerback entering the draft since Darrelle Revis of the New York Jets.

With so many options to turn to, Carolina would be smart to pass on Cam Newton. This could all be a ploy by the Panthers to convince the public of their interest in Newton.

For their sake, it is in their best interests to pass up on a quarterback whose skill set is similar to draft busts Akili Smith and JaMarcus Russell.

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