From the moment when the Commissioner, Roger Goodell, said "With the first pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers select…Cam Newton, QB Auburn" I shook my head in disbelief.
I will guarantee that in 5 years, the Panthers will regret selecting Newton over QB Jake Locker or QB Blaine Gabbert. I am not saying that Newton is not an elite athlete; don’t get me wrong, he is a freak athlete. But he does not have what it takes to be a franchise Quarterback.
I classify Cam Newton as a ‘Running Quarterback’. The only successful ‘Running Quarterback’ in the NFL is Michael Vick. There are many failed ‘Running Quarterbacks’ who were college superstars like Newton; Jamarcus Russell, Vince Young, and Pat White just to name a few. If the Panthers want to get back to the super bowl again they needed a player that would be a solid safe pick that will be a starter for years to come. Let’s get real. Are the Panthers going to win more games with Cam Newton as their QB? No, so why didn’t they take OLB Von Miller or WR A.J. Green? There is a good chance that the Panthers will be selecting in the top 10 or even top 5 again. So why go with Newton when there is a QB by the name Andrew Luck who will go top 10 in the 2012 Draft depending on his senior season. If he performs as well as he did this year, then do whatever it takes to trade up to the #1 draft pick, but this is not the case for the Panthers. The Bills, on the other hand, drafted very smart and will go after Andrew Luck next year. Quote me on that.
The main reason why the Panthers went with Newton is because of his strong athletic nature and to give the Panthers fans something to believe in the 2011 NFL season (if we have one). I really hope Cam Newton proves me wrong because his character and love for the game is something that the NFL needs.
photos: http://d3qc245dgdquna.cloudfront.net/slider/cam-newton-draft.jpg and http://www.sfexaminer.com/files/blog_images/Stanford%20Andrew%20Luck_0.jpg
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