2011 NFL Draft Results: Cam Newton and the Future of the Carolina Panthers

A year ago, not many of us even knew the name Cam Newton.

He's the Carolina Panthers' future.

The pick the Panthers made on Thursday night's NFL Draft will dictate their success for the next 10 years or so.

While he may have been the first selection, he was always going to be the Panthers' second choice. Their first choice is currently in Palo Alto, California, preparing for final exams. The second Andrew Luck broke the hearts of Carolina fans everywhere, the organization scrambled to find their number two option.

What they found was an option quarterback who wears No. 2 and knows a thing or two about scrambling. He also knows a thing or two about winning. Just take a look at his hand. You'll see two National Championship rings.

One of those rings came at Blinn College and reads "NJCAA National Championships." You know where the other one came from.

Newton actually played for a third National Championship team, but he didn't get a ring for that one.

Newton played behind Tim Tebow on Florida's championship team, but he left after the fall semester because of allegations of academic cheating. And then there's that whole laptop incident.

But that's in the past, along with Michael Vick's dog fighting ring, Ray Lewis' murder charge, and Ben Roethlisberger's sexual misconduct charges. The difference between Cam's situation and the others': Cam was a teenager, those other guys were in their mid-20s. Who didn't make dumb mistakes when they were 19?

The present is what I'm concerned about. The future as well. And, right now, Cam Newton is the Panthers' present and future, which, hopefully, will help Panthers fans forget about the recent past.

But before they can, there is one order of business to take care of, and it's not going to be easy.

As much as it pains me to say it, Steve Smith has got to go. It's been a great 10 years, but all good things must come to an end, and this is that time. The Panthers are in a youth movement, and youth is one of the few things that Smith does not bring to the football field.

While I believe Smith still has a lot left in the tank, by the time the Panthers are ready to contend, he won't. By the time Cam Newton is a legitimate NFL quarterback, Smith will no longer be a legitimate threat to opposing defenses.

His departure has been coming for a long time; they have been slowly removing the band-aid. It's time to just rip it off. It's what's best for both parties.

But let's not dwell on the past, because, now, the Panthers have a future. A future that is dependent on Cam Newton. Some people like him; some people don't. But that's been the case just about anywhere he's been.

So has winning.

But we've seen these guys fail in the NFL before. Vince Young was a winner in college, and now he can't even win a starting job. Matt Leinart won two National Championships in college, but he's a career backup in the pros.

Winning in college doesn't always carry over to the NFL.

But talent does, and Newton's got that in spades. And, unlike Young and Leinart, Newton's talent isn't one dimensional. Young is an exceptional athlete whose success derived mostly from his ability to run. Leinart is a statue in the pocket with a weak arm whose success was based on accuracy.

Cam Newton has Young's athletic ability and Leinart's throwing ability plus a rocket for an arm. But no one is questioning his athletic ability. It's what's going on upstairs that has everyone worried. It will be the difference between Newton being great and Newton being out of the league in five years.

And really, there's no in-between when it comes to Cam Newton. He will either be great or bad. He'll either win a Super Bowl title or an Arena League title. And, you know what, either way, the Panthers made the right pick.

Before Thursday night, the Panthers were a team without and identity; without a face of the franchise. When you think of the Colts, you think Peyton Manning. When you think of the Patriots, you think Tom Brady. The Panthers have never had a guy like that (Steve Smith was the closest thing), but now they do.