2011 NFL Draft: Is Cam Newton the Buffalo Bills' Franchise Quarterback?

Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton held a private workout for the media today. The Auburn quarterback demonstrated to all in attendance that he has started to grasp the differences of being a pro style quarterback by taking snaps directly under center. No pro scouts were allowed to attend the event. Good thing they didn't, because according to ESPN's Trent Dilfer, who was in attendance, the scouts would have been slobbering all over themselves. Lovely.

Dilfer's review was such that it seems that Newton's stock may head all the way in to top-five range. If that happens, that would just muddy the waters even more as to what players the first five teams will draft.

Newton has flashed strong athletic skills during Auburn's run to becoming national champions. He is mobile, has a strong arm, and a magnetic personality. He is a winner. There are some character questions and the interviews at the NFL Combines will address those issues. There will also be some dialogue regarding his father as well. If you are drafting somebody that high, you have to do your homework on them. Leave no stone unturned.

But how well does Auburn's style translate into being an NFL quarterback? That is part of what "Team Newton" set out to accomplish with this private workout. The goal is to show that with minimal down time, Newton has the smarts to be able to come up to speed on any technique or skills required to be a worthy starting quarterback.

Enter the Buffalo Bills. The last time the Bills had a franchise quarterback was Jim Kelly. When Kelly retired, consider that DVD's, Viagra and Wi-Fi had not even been invented yet. That is a long time to go without a true leader.

For now the Bills have a leader in Ryan Fitzpatrick, but as much as Fitzpatrick has won over a growing legion of Bills fans, his record as a starter last year was 4 - 9. Bills owner Ralph Wilson has promised that the team will draft a quarterback. So has general manager Buddy Nix.

It was widely thought that the Carolina Panthers, owners of the first overall pick would select Andrew Luck, if the Stanford quarterback declared for the draft. When Luck changed his mind and decided to stay in school, Carolina was then thought to be interested in a defensive line stud such as Da'Quan Bowers or Cam Newton's teammate, Nick Fairley. Can Newton be perceived to be as good as Luck?

The top ranked QB in recent expert mocks appeared to be Blaine Gabbert of Missouri, who Todd McShay of Scouts Inc had going to the Bills last week with the number three overall pick. But as of his latest 3.0 mock, McShay had dropped Gabbert down to the fifth pick. Now this workout of Newton will have him zooming up draft boards. Word is that some NFL teams already have Newton as the top rated QB.

We don't know for sure what Newton will do or what he will pass on with respect to his NFL scouting combine work. He will probably throw for sure at the Auburn Pro Day and after that teams will finalize their draft board placement of the Heisman winner. Much like fellow Heisman winner Tim Tebow last year, Newton will be the subject of wide speculation as to how high he will go in the first round. It will be interesting to see in late April where the top five quarterbacks wind up going in the draft.

Chan Gailey has always loved talented, athletic offensive skill players. The more skills you have, the more plays he can create to take advantage of your talents. We all saw the surprise selection of running back C.J. Spiller with the first pick last year.

Should Newton turn in a solid combine and Pro Day on the Auburn campus, would anybody be surprised that the Bills take him with the third overall pick? He would have some talented weapons to work with on offense, but his selection would mean that the Bills failed to address their glaring needs on defense. The rise of Cam Newton and where he will eventually land promises to be one of the top stories of the draft. Stay tuned.