Cam Newton Hype? Not So Fast.

One thing is understood by all after watching the 2010 College Football season: Cam Newton is a phenomenal athlete. Every Auburn fan knows deep down that without the effort he put forth, they were an average team. I always have been big on football being a "team" game; win as a team or lose as a team. Singling out players just does not do it for me. The 2010 Auburn Tigers are the exception of that rule. He put that team on his back in almost all their games to comeback and win.

At first glance, he looks like a lock for the first round at the NFL draft, even if some questioned his ability. Now from one workout for the media in San Diego, he is supposed to be drafted in the top five in the draft. I'm not so convinced.

Here are some reasons why:

1. The NFL Combine

It has not happened yet! The NFL Combine is two weeks away and that is his chance to impress people. Show the workouts that the National Football League places before him and let us see if he can excel at them. At the Combine, it is not just Trent Dilfer preaching about how he is the greatest thing since Peyton Manning. There will be NFL scouts watching his every move, which is much more nerve-racking then some newspaper writers/ESPN staff.

Which leads me to my next point...

2. It's the Media! Come on!

The media blows up everything they get their hands on. It is how they make a living. Cam has one workout and has now reached "Quarterback God Status". It is the most insane thing I have heard in a long time. Trent Dilfer may think Newton is amazing, but come on, it's Trent Dilfer. There are people who get paid to analyze footwork, five step drops, 40 times, etc. He is payed to get all of our attention.

3. Newton's last game tells us all we need to know.

He did not play well in the National Championship game. He made just enough plays to get his team by and Auburn simply relied on the fact that both teams had like a year and a half's worth of rest. Oregon looked rusty and they were. Newton was not rusty and he fumbled and threw one touchdown in the dirt. It was the biggest game of his life and he did not perform at his best.

Do people expect the game to get easier on Cam? The level of play in the NFL is beyond anything he has ever witnessed.

Example: Lets say Newton gets drafted by the Washington Redskins. He plays in a Monday Night Football game vs. the Dallas Cowboys with the entire country watching. Is that any different then the national title? Yep, it is more difficult.

In the NFL, the level of play has much more of an effect then the pressure of the actual game. In the SEC, Cam was lucky to have one or two linebackers chase him around that might have been at a professional level. In the NFL, it is guaranteed that they are all at the professional level.

First question I will probably get asked after posting this: Chad, why do you hate Cam Newton?

I don't hate Cam Newton in the slightest. I have no doubt he can make an impact on this league if he does things the right way. But at this point, can Cam look a person in the eyes and say that he has made an impact on a team at a professional level? Can he say that he has rallied a professional team in the fourth quarter and won? It is easy to judge someone's talent when they have no pads and gym shorts on. Let's wait to judge when he has to make an impact.