Cam Newton: 10 Reasons Why He's Another JaMarcus Russell
In the wake of Auburn Tigers Heisman winner Cameron Newton leading the Tigers to a national championship, several comparisons have been made to Oakland Raiders bust JaMarcus Russell, who starred at LSU before flopping in the NFL.
As the 2011 NFL Draft nears, it's important for all teams to be critical in their assessment of who they will choose, especially in the first round.
In the next 10 slides, I'll mention some comparisons to Russell and why Newton could be the next JaMarcus Russell.
Here is why teams won't pick him high on the 2011 NFL Draft board.
10. He's a Running QB
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A lot has been made about the fact that running quarterbacks, like JaMarcus Russell, can't use their legs nearly as effectively in the NFL than at the college level. Unless, of course, you're Michael Vick.
Newton has had a lot of success running the football this year, to put it lightly.
But will the transition to the NFL take away this asset of his and make him a different player?
9. Good Arm
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It's hard to complain about a quarterback having a good arm (I mean, really hard), but JaMarcus Russell was also touted for having an outstanding throwing arm.
But he didn't last very long.
Russell learned first and foremost you also have to have an accurate arm and good decision-making.
Will Newton's accuracy go sour when he's under constant pressure?
8. He Has The Potential to Become Overweight
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Cam Newton's body is very similar to Russell's when he entered the NFL draft.
Size is certainly a beneficial attribute to have in the NFL, but, as we saw with Russell, if maintained a big body can quickly turn into an overweight body.
If Newton doesn't maintain his weight, there's the chance he could balloon, too.
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7. Didn't Take Over the Championship Game
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Cam Newton certainly didn't have a bad BCS Championship Game, but he certainly didn't star in it either.
He threw a pick, lost a fumble, and rushed for only 64 yards, for a 2.9 yard rushing average.
He also led the Auburn Tigers to just 22 points in what was considered to be a shootout.
6. Both Had Controversial Pasts
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Both Cam Newton and JaMarcus Russell had controversial pasts leading up to the NFL draft.
This can not only cause players to drop on the board, it's also becoming more and more relevant to pick a player that's clean because a lot of controversial players can tend to flop in the NFL, or at the least disrupt their team and its progress.
5. Both Starred in The SEC For Only One Year
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As spectacular a year as Cam Newton has had, he still only did it for one year, and we'll never know how he would have done had he continued.
Maybe teams would have figured him out.
Maybe his weaknesses would come out of the woodwork.
It's hard to gauge a player on just one year. There have been plenty of "one-year wonders" in college football and the NFL.
4. He's Declaring For the Draft Too Early
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Not only does declaring now make it hard to gauge Cam Newton, he also could have benefited from another year in college ball.
He seems to have this whole football thing figured out at least at the college level, but it never hurts to work on your game and some of your weaknesses before you are really tested in the NFL.
The NFL is an entirely different beast. Russell found that out the hard way.
3. Level of Play
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You can never fully know what a player is going to do before he hits the grand stage of the NFL.
You can look at his mechanics, you can look at some of his weaknesses, you can see how well-coached he was, but until the player experiences his first NFL action, you never know how he will react.
JaMarcus Russell was considered virtually a game-changer when he entered the NFL draft.
He changed games alright. By consistently losing the game for his team.
2. Both Expected To Lift Bad Franchises
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By all indications, Cam Newton will most likely be drafted by a bad team in the 2011 NFL Draft.
There is nothing worse for a quarterback trying to break into the league than being depended on to single-handedly resurrect a failing franchise.
Russell and the other No. 1 Bay Area pick, Alex Smith, both were expected to life their teams to victory without much talent around them, not to mention constant turmoil within the organization.
If Newton is expected to just step right into the NFL and try to beat the most talented defenses in the world, he very well could flop. It's just not a winning blueprint.
1. The Teams Selecting Him
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JaMarcus Russell was thrust onto a bad team in the Oakland Raiders in 2007.
There were multiple areas the teams had to fix and they didn't seem to have a very effective gameplan as to how to fix these multiple areas.
Cam Newton may very well end up in the same situation.
If he's not picked by the 2-14 Carolina Panthers at No. 1, he could be picked by the 4-12 Buffalo Bills, the 5-11 Arizona Cardinals, or the 6-10 San Francisco 49ers.
All teams are horrendously bad at the moment.
Even if he's eased along to the starter role on these teams, there's no guarantee he'll be able to do anything with the talent on them.
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