Cam Newton: 10 Reasons Auburn QB Will Make Better Pro Than Tim Tebow
Cam Newton and Tim Tebow have been linked together for majority of the 2010 season.
Once teammates on the campus of Florida, Newton transferred and Tebow went on to win his second national championship.
After a stint in the junior college ranks, Newton joined Auburn and simply went on to win the Heisman Trophy and national title with Tebow out of the way and on the bench in Denver.
Eventually, the Broncos got Tebow on the field and he proved that, while unorthodox, he could be successful in the NFL.
With Newton now declaring for the 2011 NFL Draft, the endless Tebow debates will come to the forefront of the coverage.
That being said, here are 10 reasons Cam Newton will be a better pro than Tim Tebow.
10. Leadership
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Tebow was an incredible leader in college football and will be an incredible leader in the NFL.
But let's take a look at his situation in comparison to Newton's.
Tebow was a freshman at Florida and he was used as a sub-package spark plug behind senior Chris Leak. Together they won the national championship in Tebow's freshman season. As Leak's leadership presided over the team, Tebow did what he needed to do.
Then, as Leak was on his way out, Tebow assumed the leadership role and promptly won the Heisman Trophy the following season.
In three seasons as the full-time starter, only six losses were suffered under Tebow's lead.
Newton, who joined the Tigers following a stint at Blinn College, came in and took over a team that was projected to finish in the middle of the SEC.
Through hell or high water, Newton took over his team and carried it all way to the national championship.
The Tigers rallied around Newton in the process, drawn to his innate ability to overcome adversity and win football games.
Newton won the Heisman Trophy for his efforts, but the season was not about the trophy; it was simply a byproduct of him not letting his team lose.
9. Running Ability
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Lets face it, Tebow was a fullback playing quarterback.
The Gator quarterback excelled in the short-yardage running game, he could gut out the toughest of runs and he always knew where the sticks were.
He took hits, he made plays and he was the consummate survivor when running the football.
He averaged 4.4 yards per carry for his career, but he never crossed the 1,000-yard rushing barrier.
Newton, on the other hand, is a true runner.
His vision finds holes that are not seen by others.
He looks like he is going to take a vicious shot and he finds ways to minimize the hit.
His elusiveness in the open field, along with his stop-and-go ability, make him tough to catch.
This season he ran for 1,473 yards for a 5.6-yards-per-carry average and 20 touchdowns.
The one thing that is incredible about Newton is his speed.
8. Speed
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Tebow and Newton may very well have the same measured speed, but watch the two on the football field and you will see a vast difference.
Newton's "football speed" is scary. His ability to accelerate to top speed in-and-out of cuts and up the field is uncanny.
He has a career-long run of 71 yards and had six games this season with game-long runs of at least 30 yards.
Tebow did not have a carry over 30 until his senior season.
Put on the game film of the LSU win and watch Newton make a few cuts and accelerate through the middle of the field past a sprinting Patrick Peterson and into the end zone—that is speed.
His football speed goes into another gear, something Tebow did not have.
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7. Athleticism
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Both these players are absolutely incredible athletes and they share the common bond of looking like the biggest kid at recess in a game of "kill the man with the ball."
Tebow showed off his elite athleticism on the football field through his entire career in Gainesville. His NFL Scouting Combine numbers were pretty good too.
At 6'3" and 236 pounds, Tebow ran the 40-yard dash in 4.71 seconds. His vertical jump has 38.5 inches, his broad jump 9'7" and his three-cone drill was 6.66 seconds.
Tebow displayed rare explosion and overall athleticism for a player his size...until Newton came along.
Newton will be tested in the all the above categories, but, like Tebow's performance on the field, the numbers are just a formality; these players are uber-athletic where it counts the most.
What will separate Newton from Tebow after the numbers are in, though, is Newton's discrepancy in size.
6. Size
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Tim Tebow is not small in any walk of life—well, maybe basketball—and the quarterback's size is one of his strongest assets; Newton is even bigger.
At 6'6" and 250 pounds, Newton is a scary thing to watch running at you (then over you).
His speed and overall athleticism for 6'6" is absolutely remarkable.
He's as tall, if not taller, than almost any one of his opponents and moves like the smaller players.
The top comparisons for Newton going into the NFL draft, aside from Tebow, have been concluded as "somewhere between Vince Young and Ben Roethlisberger."
While Young has had better days, his athleticism could still reign supreme, and Roethlisberger is one of the game's top playmakers.
Newton's size makes him extremely difficult to bring down in the pocket and even more difficult if you can catch him on the run.
5. Arm Strength
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Tebow's scouting report for arm strength read "good but not elite...deep ball can flutter."
While Tebow has the ability to make almost all the throws at the NFL level, his arm strength was not one of his biggest assets.
Newton's arm can make every throw necessary at the NFL level. When he is mechanically sound, his ball spins nicely and rarely flutters.
He has good zip on his fastball and his ability to fire from awkward positions and on the run is good as well.
One point of note on his arm strength is his ability to take some off of the ball as well; he knows when to put touch on the ball and can do so very effectively.
4. Accuracy
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Tebow was misleading to grade in terms of accuracy because of his offense in college.
A 66-percent career completion percentage certainly looks good, but Tebow, and his awkward release, were hardly the picture of accuracy. Scouts knew that.
Muddled footwork kept Tebow from accurately spraying the ball around the field and he completed only 50 percent of his passes this season in the NFL.
Newton also completed 66 percent of his passes this season at the collegiate level and worked with large throwing windows like Tebow.
However, Newton has shown the ability to be accurate in the short-to-intermediate passing game and has more to go on than Tebow did coming out last year.
While Newton can progress more quickly with his accuracy if he grasps his coaching at the next level, it will most likely be a struggle for Tebow as he continues to clear up his footwork and drop-back ability.
3. Resilience
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Tebow was—and is—a fiery competitor and will do everything in his power to stop his team from losing.
Newton took that notion to a whole different level this season leading Auburn to eight come-from-behind victories.
How quarterbacks respond in the face of adversity is one of the most telling signs of their character.
Tebow's intangibles were rated off the charts and he rallied his team like none other at Florida.
Newton took the initiative and he did it himself on the football field.
The Iron Bowl, one of the most bitter rivalries in all sports, was a comeback for the ages and Newton was the reason why.
In the face of adversity off the field, Newton has worn his smile like a badge of pride, letting any and all doubters know that nothing can touch him.
He did not fold in 2010; what is to say he ever will?
2. The Quarterback Position
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Tebow is one hell of a football player, but that is all he may ever be.
The Denver Bronco will find a way to make contributions in the NFL, but it may never be at the quarterback position.
Tebow is too talented and too determined to ever give up, but his desire to win as a quarterback in the NFL will be a long road.
Newton can play no other position; he is a quarterback.
His size, arm and natural ability to make any-and-all plays with the football in his hands are tailored only to the one position that truly touches the football every play (no disrespect to centers whatsoever, but you understand what I mean).
Newton can only be a quarterback at the next level. He did what was asked of him to succeed at the college level; he put his team on his back and did what was necessary.
Tebow has a guaranteed NFL future; Newton has a guaranteed future at quarterback.
1. Potential
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No player in the 2011 NFL Draft possess the potential of Cam Newton.
The physical gifts bestowed upon him are too great.
His desire and his relentless pursuit of victory on the field are unmatched.
Now I do not know what his work ethic is truly like; the NFL is a different animal than college.
Newton will have to put in endless hours of work to hone his game to the level the NFL demands, but if his 2010 college football season is any indication of what he can do...watch out.
Wes O'Donnell covers the NFL, NCAA, and NFL Draft on a year-round basis. He is also a contributor to NFL Draft Bible. He can be followed on Twitter.
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