Just eight games into what’s been a smashing debut as Auburn’s starting quarterback, the NFL questions are already beginning to pop up around Cam Newton as he runs and throws his way toward a possible shot at both a national championship and hoisting the Heisman trophy.
Should he jump to the NFL after just one season as a starter at the Div. 1-A level? Would he jump? Would he project as the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft? A top-ten pick?
We’ll defer to the “esteemed” Todd McShay for the answers to the latter two questions, but it’s something that’s not really under consideration by the Newton camp. Yet.
According to Newton’s father, who reportedly played a major role in steering his son to Auburn and away from Mississippi State, the NFL issue has been tap-danced around, but it’s something that won’t be talked about in earnest until the final gun on his boy’s first regular season has gone off.
“For the most part, that question hasn’t come up,” Cecil Newton told the Birmingham News. “I won’t let it. Because it’s way too premature and way out of line. To say something along those lines would be totally uncharacteristic of a team player. It will be December and January before we even give it some speculation.”
Cecil Newton has said in the past that he doesn’t want his son to be a one-and-done at Auburn. Hopefully, the father will remain steadfast in that line of thinking as Cam Newton is simply not ready for the NFL level.
Spectacular collegiate player thus far? Absolutely. Ready for the NFL and their exotic defenses? Absolutely not.
While it’s easy for me to sit here in my Batman pajamas in my mom’s basement and leave somebody else’s money on the table, stay in school, Cam. You’ll be better off for it as one year at the JUCO level and another at Div. 1-A is simply not enough to prepare a quarterback.