NFL Draft: Looking at Cam Newton and Nick Fairley's Chances of Being Successful

It's official. Cam Newton and Nick Fairley are both heading to the NFL fresh off a national championship at Auburn. It wasn't a surprise that Newton and Fairley decided to come out early, but now that they have, many are wondering how they'll fare in the pro game.

Newton had a solid performance against Oregon in the BCS championship, although he missed on a couple of throws that would have led to easy scores. As far as Fairley, he was a disruptive force throughout the night against the Ducks and his performance put him in the conversation for being the No. 1 overall pick in April.

Both players are physically gifted and have the talent to make it at the NFL level. But with almost any young player, they are going to have to overcome some faults and issues to be successful. Let's take a look at each player individually and examine what they need to do to be a force in the NFL.

Cam Newton

2010 notable stats: 30 pass TD, 20 rush TD, 2,854 pass yards, 1,473 rush yards

Strengths: Newton has great size for a quarterback and has drawn comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger and Josh Freeman because of it. At 6'5" and close to 250 pounds, Newton is an unique player because of how athletic he is for his size. He has a strong arm, is mobile and showed great poise in big games this season.

Even though he played in the SEC—easily the toughest conference in college football—Newton often looked like a man among boys out on the field. Under pressure, Newton was almost always able to elude defenders to either scramble for a gain or complete a pass. 

Newton's biggest selling point will be that he is a winner. In his only season as a starting QB, he led Auburn to an undefeated season and a national championship. Much like Tim Tebow, Newton has to improve his mechanics and work hard to become a complete QB. He has all the tools to be one; all he needs is some time to learn and a coach to develop him.

Weaknesses: Accuracy is going to be an issue with Newton going forward. As was mentioned before, against Oregon Newton overthrew wide open receivers a few times, which could have broken the game open. What will concern teams is that Newton was inaccurate at times at the college level with nobody in his face.

In the NFL, he's going to have to take a three-step drop and make an accurate throw to a receiver. Seeing as he never was asked to do that at Auburn, it could be a steep learning curve for Newton. Another knock on Newton will be that he didn't play in a pro-style offense at Auburn. He always operated out of the shotgun formation, which won't happen in the NFL; neither will he be able to run the ball like he did in college.

One of Auburn's biggest weapons was calling designed runs for Newton. In the NFL, players are too fast and strong for QB runs to be effective on a consistent basis. Also, teams don't want to expose their signal-caller to the vicious hits that come with running the football. 

How successful will he be?

Whoever drafts Newton can't expect him to start next season. That's why his career could go up in flames if he's drafted too early by a team that is QB starved. Newton needs a year of practices in the NFL to get comfortable with a pro-style offense, and a coach who will be patient—not Jeff Fisher—with him.

Because of Newton's physical tools, he has a great shot of being a starter in the NFL for a long time. But it's going to take patience from him and a lot of hard work. Five years from now, Newton is more likely to be a bust than a Pro Bowler. The NFL is all about timing and accuracy at the QB position.

In his one year with the Tigers, I didn't see a player who was a great QB; instead, I saw an extremely gifted athlete playing the QB position.

Nick Fairley

2010 notable stats: 56 tackles, 32 solo, 11.5 sacks, 24 tackles for loss

Strengths: Fairley has good size, weighing in at 298 pounds and standing 6'5" tall. What makes Fairley special is his ability to dominate at the line of scrimmage. He is an absolute force on the inside of the defensive line and a true game changer. This past season, he led the SEC in sacks, which is impressive for a defensive tackle, and set a school record with 24 tackles for loss.

Fairley is good at shedding blockers, uses good leverage, has a good bull rush and an exceptional swim move. Also, he shoots gaps well and besides being a good pass rusher, he's stout against the run. As far as comparisons go, Warren Sapp comes to mind, along with Marcus Stroud—two very good DTs in their prime.

Weaknesses: There's more to love about Fairley's game than there is to hate, but there are some concerns. While he has a good motor against top competition, he has a tendency to not bring his A-game against lesser opponents. Lower body strength is another area where Fairley could improve, along with shedding some weight. Against Oregon, he looked a little heavy, although it didn't have much of an impact on his play.

The biggest question mark about Fairley is his character, though. He has a propensity to take dumb penalties and has gained a reputation as a dirty player. With Roger Goodell dishing out fines like Rajon Rondo dishes out assists, Fairley will need to clean up his act on the field to avoid fines and possibly a suspension.

There are also some questions about his work ethic and if he is serious about being the no. 1 pick, he's going to need to show up to his pro day in great shape. 

How successful will he be?

Unlike Newton, Fairley can step in next season and make an instant impact for whoever drafts him. His talents are undeniable. Whether or not he ends up making it in the league will come down to him. Fairley should be a Pro Bowler for the next decade if he works hard enough and doesn't get caught up with off-field issues.

There have been plenty of players as talented as Fairley failing in the NFL because of their lacking work ethic. If he takes the NFL for granted and thinks that he can just show up and dominate, his career will be a disappointment.