Luckily for the Carolina Panthers when they had the first overall pick, it was the same year Cam Newton was coming out of college. The former University of Auburn quarterback was coming off an exceptional season that included a Heisman trophy as well as a national championship.
According to NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, that one season was enough to make Newton the best quarterback he had scouted in 17 years.
Brooks recently ranked the Top 10 quarterbacks he scouted coming out of college since 2001and wrote about Newton:
Despite questions about his inexperience (only one full season as a starter at a major college program) and readiness for a pro-style offense after directing Auburn’s spread system, I viewed Newton as a transcendent talent at the position due to his combination of rare size, athleticism and arm talent.