Cam Newton: 10 Teams That Won't Draft Him In the First 20 Picks
The Cam Newton hype train is starting up again, as news came out from Draftinsiders.net that last week in San Antonio that six teams had Newton as the best player on their big board (To read, click here.).
No one is exactly sure who those teams are, but I would imagine that most of them are teams that are looking for a quarterback and probably didn't make the playoffs this year.
This sideshow features 10 teams that did not make the playoffs last year, but are still going to pass on Cam Newton in the first round if given the opportunity.
Feel free to comment below if you think one of these teams may actually pick Newton.
Cam Newton: Why Teams Would Want To Draft Him
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Before getting into which teams won't draft Newton, it's important to first look at what he does and does not bring to the table.
Probably the best known feature of Cam Newton is his mobility and how good he is at moving in and outside of the pocket. This not only benefits him when he takes off and runs but also helps him to extend plays that for most other quarterbacks would be sacks.
Newton is also 6'6" and weighs in at 250 pounds, making him a big load to tackle in the backfield. As most bulkier quarterbacks do, Newton also has a very strong arm and can drop the deep ball into the hands of his receivers with the flick of a wrist.
Cam Newton: Why Teams Will Pass On Him
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On the negative side, Newton was a force in college because he went against college players. When he attempts to run against faster and stronger NFL players, he could be in for a rude awakening. Experts are also afraid that Newton's arm strength could be wasted if he can not decide what throws to make fast enough, and Newton could be a bust like JaMarcus Russell.
The biggest complaint about Newton may be the off-the-field issues he brings with him. He was arrested while attending the University of Florida in 2008 and was very publicly investigated in 2010 involving a pay-to-play scheme.
Teams will be taking a risk when they draft Newton, but the payoff could be huge.
Denver Broncos
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Unless Tim Tebow comes down with a serious career ending injury before the draft, there is no way the Denver Broncos will use their pick to take Cam Newton.
Newton and Tebow are very similar players in their style of football, and both use their feet to their advantage.
Tebow finished the season off strong for the Broncos, throwing for two touchdowns and running for 94 yards and another touchdown in their season finale. That may have helped Cam Newton's stock, but not enough for the Broncos to have two similar quarterbacks on their roster.
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Cincinnati Bengals
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Carson Palmer may want out of Cincinnati, but even if he gets his wish, the Bengals are not going to draft Cam Newton.
The Bengals need some sort of stability in their organization, and a wild-card player like Cam Newton would give them just the opposite.
If the Bengals want a franchise quarterback other than Carson Palmer, picking Cam Newton is not a risk they will take on draft day.
Cleveland Browns
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The Browns have a young quarterback who will be the real deal in the future with Colt McCoy. McCoy may have finished the season off on the wrong note, with three interceptions in two straight games, but he also showed strokes of brilliance such as when he had a passer rating of 132.6 against Cincinnati.
McCoy is the future of this franchise as long as he stays healthy and will give the Browns no reason to draft Cam Newton in the first round come draft day.
Although Newton's tough guy running style may be what the city of Cleveland is all about, he won't be there come next season.
Dallas Cowboys
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Tony Romo is the prized possession of the Cowboys, and there is no way Jerry Jones thinks about replacing him come draft day.
Romo may have missed most of the 2010 season with a shoulder injury, but he will not allow that to be an excuse for the Cowboys to draft a quarterback moving forward.
Dallas may have hosted the Super Bowl this winter, but they will not be hosting Cam Newton next summer.
Houston Texans
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The Texans will be looking on the other side of the ball during the draft and already have one of the better statistical quarterbacks in the game with Matt Schaub.
Schaub lead the league in 2009 in passing yards and came in fourth in 2010.
The Texans offense is not what is keeping them out of the playoffs, and they will probably continue to build a young defense that could be very good in a few years.
Detroit Lions
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The Lions are one of the most up and coming teams in the NFL and are not going to waste a pick on a player who may not even see the field next year.
Matt Stafford holds the key to the city of Detroit in his hands right now, and most Lions fans and the organization are fine with that. Although he only was able to play in three games because of various injuries, he did throw six touchdowns to one interception in that span.
The Lions have a young core of very skilled players on the offensive side of the ball and need to draft a defensive player who will match that.
St. Louis Rams
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Speaking of up and coming teams with future quarterbacks, Sam Bradford showed that he is the real deal by completely turning around the Rams organization.
Bradford threw 18 touchdowns, even though he had a cast of misfits as his receivers and had three games with a passer rating of over 100.
Cam Newton would have no chance of playing over Bradford, and the Rams need to get a skill player to compliment Bradford instead.
The Rams have too much hope in their new young quarterback to waste an early pick on Cam Newton.
San Diego Chargers
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Something tells me that the best statistical offense in the league last year does not need to draft a wild-card quarterback.
Phillip Rivers is at the peak of his career right now and is considered by many to be the best player at the position. He leads the league in passing yards last year, throwing for 4,710 yards along with 30 touchdowns and a passer rating of over 100.
The Chargers need players who give it their all every play, something the team as a whole had a problem with last year, and are going to draft a guaranteed workhorse over Cam Newton.
New York Giants
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Although Giants fans are constantly complaining about Eli Manning, when push comes to shove, he did win them a Super Bowl and is the face of the franchise.
What makes it even more likely that Cam Newton would not come to the Giants is that Tom Coughlin is a no-nonsense guy who won't want to deal with the horse and pony show that comes along with Newton.
The Giants also had to deal with the Plaxico Burress incident and are not going to draft a player who had eligibility questions in college.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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The Buccaneers were a surprise team in 2010, led by their own Cam Newton, Josh Freeman.
Freeman posted jaw-dropping stats by throwing 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He played some of his best football to end the season, with passer ratings of 144.2 and 133.2 in the Bucs final two games. Even more impressive is that both of these games were against playoff teams.
They Buccaneers have a lot to build on from last year, and drafting Cam Newton would not help them get any closer to the playoffs.
If Cam Newton is still around when Tampa Bay steps to the podium, it seems almost impossible that they would draft him.
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