Cameron Newton: Which Team Will Take a Shot on Auburn Star After Scandal?
Cam Newton is in all kinds of trouble with the NCAA right now, even though it's unclear at this time whether any of the allegations brought against him are actually true.
Auburn's star quarterback is leading the Tigers to arguably the most impressive season in school history, but all that seems to have taken a back seat to the scandal involving his recruitment.
And no matter what the result of any NCAA investigation is, Newton's character is sure to take a hit in at least some NFL Draft circles around the country.
But which teams have a legitimate shot at drafting Newton—whether it be in 2011 or 2012—despite the scandal?
Let's rank the chances of a marriage between Newton and all 32 NFL teams.
32. St. Louis Rams
1 of 32
The St. Louis Rams seem to have found a good young quarterback in Sam Bradford, and a very expensive one at that.
That's reason enough to keep Cam Newton out of St. Louis.
31. Denver Broncos
2 of 32
The Denver Broncos already have Kyle "The Gunslinger" Orton, Brady "I'm a Bust" Quinn and Tim "I'm Here to Run the Wildcat" Tebow.
So Cam Newton wouldn't start, be the backup or the emergency quarterback.
I think he should stay away from Denver.
30. Atlanta Falcons
3 of 32
The Atlanta Falcons have already dealt with a run-first quarterback in recent years in Michael Vick, and that didn't turn out too well.
Plus, they've already got their franchise quarterback, Matt Ryan.
This one's a long shot.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
29. Baltimore Ravens
4 of 32
The Baltimore Ravens have their quarterback for the next decade in Joe Flacco.
Unless the Ravens are going to suddenly implement a consistent Wildcat game into their offense, I think Cam Newton would do nothing but sit and stagnate on Baltimore's bench.
28. New Orleans Saints
5 of 32
As a New Orleans Saints fan, I'd love to see them add another threat to their offense.
But Drew Brees isn't retiring anytime soon, and Chase Daniel looks like the heir apparent to his throne when he does.
27. Miami Dolphins
6 of 32
You know that if Cam Newton was drafted by the Miami Dolphins, he'd be used just like Pat White: as a wildcat quarterback.
Ronnie Brown already does a fine job running the Wildcat, and Newton would just wind up in the minor league baseball system in a year or two if he does go to Miami.
That experience failed once, so there's no need to try it again.
26. San Diego Chargers
7 of 32
That Philip Rivers guy might be not be very well-liked, but he's a pretty darn good NFL quarterback.
Unless the San Diego Chargers use Cam Newton another way—Antonio Gates 2.0 maybe?—I don't really see a fit here.
25. Minnesota Vikings
8 of 32
Believe it or not, Brett Favre will retire within the next five years...I think.
Anyway, when Favre's gone, I'd expect Tarvaris Jackson to take over as the starting quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
Surprisingly, I actually don't see him being near as bad as people think, and I think he has the opportunity to thrive with some of the weapons he has.
There's no need to bring Cam Newton in and disrupt Jackson's development.
24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9 of 32
I really like what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing with Josh Freeman this year, and I think the team does too.
There's no need to screw up Freeman's progress by drafting Cam Newton.
Tampa Bay will pass on Newton.
23. Buffalo Bills
10 of 32
Ryan Fitzpatrick is quietly emerging into a very solid NFL quarterback for the Buffalo Bills this year.
And even though I'm unsure whether or not he's a one-hit wonder, there's no need to bring Cam Newton into Buffalo.
The Bills should build around Fitzpatrick until he proves they should do otherwise.
22. Detroit Lions
11 of 32
The Detroit Lions thought they had their quarterback for the next 10 years when they drafted Matthew Stafford, but he's been hurt far too often in his short career.
Even when Stafford's hurt though, the team does have Shaun Hill as a capable veteran to fill in, so I still think Cam Newton would be better served going somewhere else.
21. Houston Texans
12 of 32
Hey, don't the Houston Texans have a former Heisman Trophy winner as a backup quarterback right now?
Well, yeah they do (Matt Leinart) but I don't see them getting another one (if Cam Newton wins it that is).
Matt Schaub will be the guy in Houston for the foreseeable future and probably until he retires.
I do have to admit though that I'd love to see Newton beat out Leinart for the No. 2 quarterback spot.
20. Kansas City Chiefs
13 of 32
Jamaal Charles is one of the NFL's biggest gamebreakers, yet the Chiefs still like to let Thomas Jones get most of the carries.
Todd Haley can't use Charles right, so why would he use Cam Newton any better?
19. New York Giants
14 of 32
Remember that guy who played wide receiver for the New York Giants a few years back?
I think his name was Plaxico Burress.
Anyway, as evidenced by Tom Coughlin's handling of Burress, the Giants don't tolerate any type of nonsense unless you're Brandon Jacobs.
18. Chicago Bears
15 of 32
Look, I know that Cam Newton isn't going to be the best pro quarterback ever, but who are we kidding? Neither is Jay Cutler.
Cutler might have a better shot at throwing for 300 yards in a game, but he's also much more likely to throw four interceptions.
17. Seattle Seahawks
16 of 32
How old is Matt Hasselbeck now, like 40?
Unless you're Brett Favre you probably shouldn't be playing that long.
Cam Newton is far from a perfect fit in Seattle, but that offense can use help running and passing the ball, so maybe it makes a little sense.
16. Green Bay Packers
17 of 32
When healthy, the Green Bay Packers are loaded on the offensive side of the ball.
Now imagine them rolling out a formation with Aaron Rodgers, Greg Jennings, Jermichael Finley, Donald Driver, Ryan Grant and Cam Newton on the field at the same time.
It doesn't even matter what position Newton was playing, that would be pretty sick.
15. Indianapolis Colts
18 of 32
The Indianapolis Colts would be the best case scenario for Cam Newton in my opinion (even though it might not be the most likeliest).
He wouldn't have to worry about playing right away because Peyton Manning never gets hurt, he'd learn from one of the best quarterbacks ever and he'd probably have a legit shot at the backup job right away.
14. Washington Redskins
19 of 32
The backup quarterback for the Washington Redskins is Rex Grossman...Rex Grossman!
I know that Cam Newton's game might not translate all that well to the NFL, but he's worth a shot in Washington when you consider what they have to work with behind an aging Donovan McNabb.
13. Dallas Cowboys
20 of 32
The Dallas Cowboys selected Dez Bryant in the first round of the 2010 draft despite character issues and an NCAA suspension while at Oklahoma State.
Cam Newton hasn't been suspended, Tony Romo isn't healthy and Jon Kitna looks like he doesn't belong in the NFL anymore.
I'd say that the Cowboys and Newton are a match made in heaven.
12. Arizona Cardinals
21 of 32
I think it's pretty apparent that Derek Anderson and Max Hall just aren't going to get the job done for the Arizona Cardinals.
Throw Cam Newton into the mix just to see if he can provide any type of spark in Arizona.
11. Carolina Panthers
22 of 32
Matt Moore and Tony Pike likely aren't the long-term answers for the Carolina Panthers, and unlike Mel Kiper, I'm not in love with Jimmy Clausen either.
The Panthers will be in complete rebuild mode for a while, and Cam Newton might be worth a shot for whoever's coaching Carolina next year.
After all, those three guys aren't exactly Pro Bowlers.
10. San Francisco 49ers
23 of 32
The last two quarterbacks who had any type of success in San Francisco?
Jeff Garcia and Steve Young.
Now I'm not saying Cam Newton can sling the ball all over the field like these guys did, but they were both athletic quarterbacks.
And needless to say, so is Newton.
9. Cleveland Browns
24 of 32
Josh Cribbs has thrived in his role as a Wildcat quarterback and a return man while with the Cleveland Browns.
I could see Cam Newton in a similar role or even as a full-time quarterback behind Colt McCoy because McCoy is a very accurate passer who also likes to run the ball.
Call me crazy, but I think Newton would look good in a Browns uniform.
8. Tennessee Titans
25 of 32
The Tennessee Titans aren't really the greatest situation for Cam Newton because Vince Young will be the long-term starter there if he can stay healthy.
But Young has proven to be a winner in the NFL, and he might be the one NFL player who Newton should pattern his game after.
Neither guy is ever going to be an elite passer, but they can make plays that very few quarterbacks in this league can make week in and week it out.
I really like this fit.
7. New York Jets
26 of 32
The New York Jets already have their quarterback for the future in Mark Sanchez, but somebody's gotta take over when he starts a career as a GQ model.
Just kidding.
But the Jets do make very good use of former Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, so I could see Newton excelling in New York's offense in a similar role.
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
27 of 32
Trent Edwards isn't the answer, neither is Todd Bouman and I'm not sold on David Garrard being a quality NFL starter.
Plus, Jacksonville desperately needs some kind of spark not named Maurice Jones-Drew to make that team interesting.
The only problem is that it's in Florida, where Cam Newton has a tendency to do things that he shouldn't.
5. New England Patriots
28 of 32
Hey, Bill Belichick likes cheating and Cam Newton allegedly does too, so why not put Newton on the New England Patriots?
You can have Belichick tape the Jets practice and have Newton put his name on it and claim that it's his.
In all seriousness though, I think the Patriots would find a way to use Newton just like they did with Julian Edelman.
4. Oakland Raiders
29 of 32
To quote The Longest Yard, Cam Newton's fast. He's real fast.
In fact, he's almost like a combination of JaMarcus Russell and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
I bet Al Davis salivating right now.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
30 of 32
Look at some of the guys that the Cincinnati Bengals have taken a chance on in the past: Tank Johnson, Adam "Pacman" Jones, Chris Henry (RIP), Terrell Owens, etc.
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis has gotten more out of these players in Cincinnati than most people would have ever expected.
And Cam Newton will probably still enter the league with a better reputation than all of them.
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
31 of 32
Ben Roethlisberger will probably retire as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback several years down the road.
But the Steelers organization has worked wonders turning former college quarterbacks Antwaan Randle El and Hines Ward into good—even great in Ward's case—NFL players.
I'm not saying that Cam Newton has to switch positions in the NFL like they did, but the Steelers could certainly make it a successful transition.
1. Philadelphia Eagles
32 of 32
The Philadelphia Eagles took a shot on Michael Vick, who has taken arguably the biggest character hit of any active player in NFL history.
People across the country hated that guy, and his reputation was about as squeaky clean as a public urinal when the Eagles signed him.
Plus, there's the added advantage that Vick and Cam Newton have very similar playing styles, so Newton and Philly would make a nice little pairing.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
