Cam Newton scares me.

[Dave Gray]

...and not in a good way.

I see him hyping up his own draft status, and I think that that strategy, by and large, works.  Teams buy the hype and you end up going too early.  It happened with Tebow (although not by Tebow), but by Media and he ended up going entirely too early, in my opinion. 

But Newton seems to be a problem.  I can look past the stuff with his Dad, but he doesn't seem to have learned from it.  Someone with their head on straight would lower their head, work hard, and try to get out of the media spotlight until they could prove their talent.  Newton seems to be doing the opposite.

I can totally see up jumping at him at our pick and I don't think it's a good situation.

[Phishfan]

As I have said before, there isn't a QB in this draft that I am fond of. I can see Newton being the next Russell personally.

[Doc-phin]

Don't be scared unless he is running at you wearing an old fashion hockey mask and holding a chainsaw dripped in blood.

Really though...  The Cam Newton pick would be so atypical of this front office that I just can't imagine it happening.  And if it did, I would have to believe that they really saw something they liked.  One thing this front office has not done is pick a first round bust.  They might take a shot with a second rounder at times, but they are conservative in the first round.

BTW, if he somehow is around in the second round (and we have a pick) I would be cool with taking him.  Regardless of bust potential, he would be worth the chance.  But since I don't see that happening either, Newton isn't even on my radar.

[Brian Fein]

If he doesn't perform at the combine, no amount of hype will get him in the door.

I imagine numbers would outweigh any talking people might be doing.

Phish - I'm with you on the JaMarcus analogy...

[Phishfan]

One thing this front office has not done is pick a first round bust. 

I am concerned about Odrick's injury history. You might be incorrect with this assessment, but only time will tell.

[jtex316]

The combine is so flawed as a measurement stick. It proves nothing about what type of player you're getting or how that player will perform under game-like conditions.

If I were an NFL team owner, I'd love to hire an on-staff Psychologist to interview these guys and see how they would fit my organization. The physical stuff (how much they bench press, what their shuttle run time was, etc...) is trivial. How many guys have come and gone that "have had a cannon for an arm" but a 2-cent brain?

[Phishfan]

^^^ I'm pretty sure they go through psychological testing.

[jtex316]

^^ I'm pretty sure it sucks, considering that a total jobber like Jamarcus Russell was selected 1st overall. How can someone like that get past a psychological evaluation?

[Sunstroke]

If I were an NFL team owner, I'd love to hire an on-staff Psychologist to interview these guys and see how they would fit my organization.

Most, if not all, NFL teams do employ psychologists to try getting a sneak-peek into the heads of player prospects. When you have a short controlled interview process though, it isn't always easy to see the potholes in their mental roads.

[Pappy13]

^^ I'm pretty sure it sucks, considering that a total jobber like Jamarcus Russell was selected 1st overall. How can someone like that get past a psychological evaluation?

Because the physical upside was so huge.  That's when teams start justifying a less than stellar mental makeup.  Besides you never really know how mentally tough/smart a guy is until he's tasted a bit of failure.  With guys like Jamarcus you won't find out what you got until the chips are down.

[MikeO]

He is gonna go in the Top 10 of the draft. If not Top 5. Buffalo is really hot on him from reports if he is even there when they pick. Don't worry about Miami taking Newton he will be long gone by our pick.

Boomer Esiason has the best story ever on this kid. When Cam was in the 7th grade his all star team traveled to NY for this football camp thingy. And Boomer was there as a guest of the camp. Boomer was standing side by side with Cam both throwing passes. Boomer of course with his passes dead on the money hitting guys in the hands in stride. Cam....WHO WAS IN 7TH GRADE AT THE TIME....turns to Boomer and says, "hey man your pretty good, you should have been a QB"

[tubba marxxx]

^^ I'm pretty sure it sucks, considering that a total jobber like Jamarcus Russell was selected 1st overall. How can someone like that get past a psychological evaluation?

because Al Davis calls the shots

[MikeO]

Ryan Mallet was oustanding at his Pro Day today. Can't run a lick, but his arm and his drops and throws were beyond awesome today according to all reports. Everyone there said he is NFL-ready

[fyo]

Cam Newton had a monster of a pro-day and will almost certainly be gone by the time the Dolphins pick.

[Pappy13]

^^ Thank Heavens.  Prevents Sparano/Ireland from making a huge mistake.