2011 NFL Draft: How High Is Cam Newton's Ceiling?

There are close to ten NFL franchises that could be looking for a future franchise signal caller in the upcoming 2011 Draft. With so many possible suitors out there, it’s likely that a good amount of elite underclassmen quarterbacks such as Stanford’s Andrew Luck, Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett, Auburn’s Cam Newton and others could give a lot of consideration to leaving school early.

While pro-style quarterbacks like Luck and Mallett have shown they have the skills that would perfectly translate to the NFL game, Auburn’s Cam Newton is still a bit of an unknown commodity at this point.

The 6‘6’’ 250 lb. junior has taken the college football world by storm this season with his sensational playmaking ability, but Newton has yet to show that he has the polish and poise that's desired in your typical pro passer.

Newton has flourished in Gus Malzahn’s offense, which can be characterized as anything but conventional.

While we’ve all been in awe of Newton’s natural ability, which has been the main factor in Auburn’s 11-0 start, we’ve also yet to see Newton demonstrate all the little necessary nuances that pro scouts look for in a quarterback.

Right now the Auburn quarterback is the odds-on favorite to take home the Heisman Trophy, but when it comes to his draft stock, everybody is still left wondering just where he stands.

Is he a first rounder? Is he a top ten pick? Dare we even say it...could he go No. 1 overall?

Considering that we still have a good five months left between now and the draft, maybe we should step back for a minute and realize that a lot is going to happen over the rest of the evaluation period. Every year it seems like we have a tendency to get caught living in the moment. Remember just a month ago, we were declaring Michigan’s Denard Robinson the winner of the Heisman Trophy.

Things can change rather quickly in college football.

Newton has looked phenomenal this year, but NFL scouts are a fickle bunch, especially when it comes to picking apart quarterbacks.

The pro-personnel folks are going to break down every little facet of his mechanics, his leadership ability, arm strength, accuracy; you name the trait, they’ll run through it with a fine tooth comb.

If Newton decides to come out early, which would seem to be the likely case now that so many around the sport are turning their backs on him, he’ll only have one year’s worth of work to show as his resume. While that may not necessarily be a bad thing considering his whole season has been one long highlight reel, scouts could be left wondering if he’s simply a one-year wonder.

At this point, Cam Newton is the ultimate gamble. Just from a natural ability standpoint, he’s a rarity, the type of player that we don’t see very often at the quarterback position. But the million dollar question is: how will he translate to the pro game?

There’s no doubt in my mind that there will be at least one front office that falls in love with him and selects him somewhere in the first round. Heck, if Brady Quinn can be a first rounder, Cam deserves to as well.

But with so much time left until the draft, there’s no prospect whose stock is safe at this point. We’ve still got a long way to go, but if Cam does decide to come out, his story will absolutely be one of the most fascinating to watch unfold in the lead up to draft day.

Cam Newton is already one of the most polarizing figures in sports. Watching his transition to the next level and how the media treats him during that phase should be nothing short of mesmerizing.