2011 NFL Draft: A Closer Look at Cam Newton

You are about to read more about Cam Newton than most people will ever want to read about a draft prospect. Sorry.

Strengths:

• Great Size
• Rocket Arm
• Elite Mobility for the Quarterback Position
• Good Enough Accuracy
• Can't Be Brought Down Easily
• Great Leader
• Can Make the Entire Offense Better

Weaknessess:

• Only One Year of Production
• Played in a Spread Offense
• Needs Work on Throwing Mechanics
• Is not a Typical NFL Quarterback

As you can see, Newton has great strengths, but some major weaknesses that really bring down his draft stock.

Newton is still one of the most interesting NFL draft prospects we will probably ever find.

He has athleticism that could dwarf Michael Vick, and look at the season that he just had. Newton is one of those guys that has great speed, but will not be brought down by one tackler. He has great size at 6'6", 250 lbs.

And do you know what the two knocks for a spread-offense quarterback are? Arm strength and understanding of a pro-style offense.

Newton already has the cannon arm that can make all of the throws that he would need to make as an NFL quarterback. All Newton really has to do is to keep working out to stay in shape, learn how to take snaps from under center and get a better understanding of the pro-style offense.

Newton is already hard at work in his draft workouts. Obviously, he will be more than able to impress at the Combine. His measureables are off the charts. Newton has great strength, as said before, and great speed for someone who is his size, especially for a quarterback.

But measureables aren't everything for someone who wants to be a great NFL quarterback. That's been seen before with guys like Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell.

Newton was able to do great things in his only year of college football. There was a point where character issues started to become a concern, but eventually it was found that Cam committed no NCAA recruiting violations, and instead it was his father that tried to get Mississippi State to pay Cam to play there.

Cam was also a winner, going 14-0 with a national championship. And do you know how many times Cam was able to shrug off the scoreboard when Auburn was down? The answer is a lot.

Cam would learn from his mistakes and lead his team back out and make plays when he absolutely needed to so the Tigers could get another victory.

If George Whitfield Jr., Ben Roethlisberger's draft coach, can teach Cam about the pro-style offense, and get him used to taking snaps from under center, instead of the shotgun, Cam could be a top-five pick and could even go No. 1 overall if the Panthers think they do need help on offense.

Another thing about Newton, he is one of those quarterback that can make another team's offense that much better. With Newton's legs he can not only make himself better in the running game, but the other running backs, as well. His arm also allows him to be a huge factor in the passing game.