INDIANAPOLIS -- Cam Newton's athletic gifts were evident as he took the field on Sunday for his NFL combine audition at Lucas Oil Stadium. He had a nice physical presence. He also had some issues with fluidity on his drop-backs and accuracy with his passes.
In the second session, Newton exhibited shaky mechanics that led to wild passes. He dropped back too slow and rushed his attempts. He was wildly off the mark on three consecutive passes on 10-yard out routes.
Newton has his detractors and the noise from them grew a little louder after his sub-par passing performance.
"He still needs 10,000 hours of reps to hone his skills," the NFL Network's Mike Lombardi said. "The NFL is not like the NBA. You don’t go from high school and start playing really good. The NFL takes time."
Overall, Newton completed 11 of 21 passes, including 2-for-3 on deep corner routes when he made his best throws of the day.
He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds, which was sizzling for a quarterback. His broad jump was 10 feet, 6 inches, and he had a vertical jump of 35 inches. He didn't participate in the 225-pound bench press.
"This whole path to where I am right now has been something of a whirlwind to say the least, but at the same time this is what I signed up for," Newton said.
Throughout his meteoric rise, the Heisman Trophy winner from Auburn and Westlake High School alumnus has outwardly remained unflappable, but beneath the surface there are some cracks. There are those controversies, which he has had to address once more with his pro football suitors.
"During this whole process, with the whole NCAA, it's been somewhat of me facing adversity," Newton said. "I owe a whole lot ... to the people that have been available for me to talk to in the wee hours of the night."
In December, the NCAA ruled that Newton had no knowledge of a pay-for-play scheme created by his father, Cecil, and the owner of a scouting service. Newton showed no malice to his father at the combine. It was the opposite.
"The relationship with my father is one that was already good before this whole adversity thing came up with the NCAA and with this whole NCAA thing swarming around my family and everybody that was affiliated with me," Newton said. "It just brought me and my father closer together."
NFL teams, of course, wanted to know about the allegations involving his father.
"Yes, sir, the question has been asked," Newton said. "My father is just like any other father who wants the best for his son. He wants to see his son succeed in every way possible."
NFL teams also quizzed Newton about accusations that he stole a laptop at Florida, his suspension from that team and three alleged incidents of academic cheating.
Newton now has a strong supporting cast around him; he is being advised by Warren Moon, the Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback.
"I call Warren or text him and he's always available," Newton said. "No matter what the occasion is, he's always ears first and then he tells me what he feels like his best advice would be."
In recent years, young quarterbacks have come into the league and played well. Matt Ryan has taken the Falcons to the playoffs in two of his first three years. Joe Flacco has made three straight trips to the playoffs with Baltimore. Mark Sanchez has guided the New York Jets to the AFC title game in each of the last two seasons. But there are no guarantees.
"I know it's going to be a challenging transition," Newton said.
Newton had to answer for recent comments about being an "entertainer" and "icon" as much as he was a football player, leaving some teams concerned by this.
"I think they will research it more," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. "I don't think it will dissuade them from taking someone with such quality talent."
Auburn's spread offense didn't prepare Newton for the NFL, leaving critics to contend that if he doesn't find his first receiver, he would take off running. In the NFL, running quarterbacks don't last and are prone to injury.
Clearly teams recognize that Newton has physical gifts, no matter what has been said or done by him.
"He's got a lot of upside," Dimitroff said. "There are certain teams out there that will be salivating over Cam Newton, no question about that."
Several teams in the top half of the draft have unsettled quarterback situations. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has shown an interest in Newton.
"I did have a meeting with the Cowboys," Newton said of a Friday night encounter that lasted 15 minutes.
After the combine, Newton will return to San Diego and continue to work out. He also plans to participate in Auburn's pro day on March 8.
"I'm just going to continuously keep working on my craft," Newton said. "That's to become the best quarterback possible during this transition."
About the Author
