Taking a break from the ongoing black hole of labor negotiations the NFL will descend upon the city of Indianapolis this week for the annual circus of the NFL scouting combine. This 7 day period will mean millions of dollars to NFL prospects and they look to audition for all 32 NFL teams and the NFL Draft. Players have the opportunity to display their measurable skills and talent in a number of different drills and events that will then be taken apart and dissected to Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay for the next two months until we're sick of it. Equally important to the drills however will be the interviews that many top prospects will have with their potential suitors.
These interviews are especially important to players who carry character issue flags with them heading into the NFL Draft. A player can seriously cripple their draft stock if they are unable to absolve themselves in the eyes of their potential suitors. Examples of this can be found in the recent drafts with player like Dez Bryant and Michael Crabtree who were both easy Top-5 WR receiver talents who dropped significantly because of lingering character issues which cost them both millions considering what the top draft picks tend to make.
The big story of this year's draft is easily Auburn QB Cam Newtown who is coming off a Heisman-winning, National Championship season. Newtown has the biggest upside of an QB in the draft with his tremendous combination of size, speed, strength and collegiate success. In his only season at Auburn Newtown torched SEC defenses on a weekly basis accounting for 50 totals TDs and an undefeated season. However he also carries a lot of risk as he was the subject of a pay-to-play controversy before he chose to attend Auburn. He also only started one season as a starter in FBS competition and ran a unique style of offense at Auburn. Scouts are skeptical of how this lack or experience will translate to the pro level.
In order to answer his critics Newtown will be participating in every QB drill at the combine which is a rarity for the top QB prospects who prefer to hold their own personal workouts for teams closer to the draft. Cam has already begun the process of marketing himself by holding a special workout solely for the media earlier this month and is clearly unafraid of hurting his stock with a subpar performance. Newtown finished the season being considered the 2nd or 3rd best QB in the draft and was looking at being chosen somewhere in the 10-20 range. If he can charm scouts and critics alike in the coming week I wouldn't be surprised to see the Carolina Panthers or Buffalo Bills think about taking him with either the 1st or 3rd overall selection at the end of April.
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