NFL Draft: Are the Carolina Panthers Giving Up Too Soon on Jimmy Clausen

With less than 24 hours until the NFL Draft, sources, reports and speculations have surfaced that the Carolina Panthers are about to pick former Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick in Thursday's draft.

The idea behind the pick isn't so much that Newton is the best player in the draft, but rather that Newton fits the two biggest needs for the Carolina Panthers.

First, Carolina lacks a franchise quarterback. Football history has shown that teams with stability at quarterback have a chance to compete in the NFL while teams with questions continue to be bottom feeders in the league.

The Cincinnati Bengals post-Boomer Esiason era were a complete mess. Everyone from David Klinger to Jeff Blake, who had some success, to Akili Smith; it took the Bengals nearly 10 years before finally hitting money with USC's Carson Palmer.

Secondly, Carolina needs a reason to get excited about the 2011 season (if there is a season). After a 2-14 season in which the Panthers finished 0-8 on the road, Carolina needs something, anything to get excited about.

In a division that has never seen a team win the division in back-to-back years, there is hope that the drafting of Newton could give Carolina a spark in the same fashion that Matt Ryan gave to Atlanta back in 2008.

However the question still begs to be ask, by taking Cam Newton is Carolina giving up too soon on Jimmy Clausen?

Clausen, a second round pick and Carolina's first pick in the 2010 draft isn't a bad quarterback; he's a rookie.

The over-under on rookie quarterbacks is zero, as in zero expectations. Whether he throws 25 interceptions or 25 touchdowns, the rookie year of a quarterback should be taken with a grain of salt.

His second season is where you expect to see growth as a player with fewer mental mistakes. Interceptions should go down and touchdowns up, and by the third season, a franchise should know whether the quarterback is the right choice or not.

Carolina taking Cam Newton in Thursday's NFL draft not only sends the wrong message to Jimmy Clausen, but also to fans that Clausen was a wasted pick, especially when Clausen was Carolina's first draft pick in 2010.