Cam Newton’s Pro Day: Good and Bad.
On Tuesday, Cam Newton was in the spotlight. Newton worked out for all teams at Auburn’s Pro Day. This was a much anticipated event after Newton performed badly at the Combine. Tuesday, he had a chance to prove to the entire National Football League that he is a work in progress and will continue to get better. He did just that. Newton had a very good pro day. In front of hundreds of coaches and GM’s, Newton threw much better then he did at the Combine. When he finished the workout, he had completed 50 of 60 passes. Fortunately for him, some of his receivers dropped a couple very catchable passes so he won’t be graded down on those throws. Unfortunately for him, he definitely showed that he is far from a finished product. Let’s look at the good and bad throws for Newton.
Good Passes:
Short passes
Newton started off the day by throwing short passes. He took 3 step drops, threw short out routes, running back routes, and option routes. Newton looked very comfortable with this portion of the day. In fact, he didn’t miss a throw in this section. He displayed some good footwork and effortless flung the ball to his running back.
Play Action passes
This is another area that Newton really excelled him. Newton looked really comfortable faking to the RB, rolling out, and hitting his receivers. In fact, he was so comfortable that NFP’s Wes Bunting wondered if the play action happy Mike Shanahan would love to get his hand on Newton. It’s definitely a possibility. Newton certainly has the athletic ability to roll out.
Comebacks/Curl Passes
This is one of the passes that scouts wanted to pay close attention to. This pass is all about timing and being in synch with his receivers. Newton performed very well in this area. He looked comfortable at his home field. He threw great, catchable passes. After the 60 throws, some coaches asked to see a little more. One of the throws that he was asked to throw was the curl route. Once again, Newton passed the test in front a select group of coaches.
Bad Passes
Deep Out Route Pass
This was the throw that Newton couldn’t do at the Combine. He frequently overthrew receivers. Today, he certainly did a much better job. He threw much more catchable balls. However, he was still inconsistent with his throws. Some of his passes were a little high, some were behind, and some were too far ahead. There were a couple throws that would have hit the ground if not for a WR who had fantastic hands. Like I said, Newton did much better then at the Combine, but he definitely has work to do with these throws.
Streak/Go Passes
Newton has the arm. There is no question about it. He flings the ball almost effortlessly. However, his deep ball accuracy is certainly a question. He overthrew his receivers on a couple occasions today. He hasn’t quite gotten his touch yet. He needs to prove to NFL GM’s that he will be able to fix his deep ball accuracy because it has been a concern up to date.
Overall
Newton improved his stock in my eyes. He needs work on his deep passes (Deep out and Go) but he improved from the Combine to the Pro Day. Progress is all that coaches are looking for. Nobody is expecting him to be a finished product. Everyone knows that he is a project and will take a couple years before he is able to be a stay in the pocket passer. However, the progress that he has made is encouraging for NFL teams. He is proving that when he puts in the time and effort, he is capable of improving his game. So if he can put football before being an icon, there is a strong change the Panthers, Bills, or Cardinals would be willing to take a shot on him. Another sleeper for Newton is Tennessee. The Titans were one of the teams who seemed particularly interested in Newton’s workout.