Count me as one of the people who thought Cam wouldn't be ready for the NFL as a rookie starter. If nothing else, he proved that a small sample size shouldn't be judged too harshly either positively or negatively.
Newton has the look of a transcendent player, the kind of player you might make in Madden, but never would expect to see in real life.
The big question for Carolina is whether or not Newton can win in the NFL. In some ways, he's had the anti-Vince Young season.
For VY, it wasn't pretty, but the guy won seemingly every week. Cam has put up gaudy stats for a bad team, but the Panthers were in just about every game they played and frankly, most of the losses weren't his fault.
This defense was atrocious and some of the key contributors for this team, including Newton and head coach Ron Rivera, are still relatively green.
Even in free agency, of the five players Carolina signed, they had just 10 total starts between them last season and eight of them belonged to Mike Pollak, who played guard for the Colts.
Truly, one of the only major differences between the 2011 Panthers and the 2010 Panthers was Cam Newton, and it was good for a four win increase; and while the NFC South is one of the toughest conferences in football, if Cam get better and the defense gets better, the Panthers could be in the mix in 2012.
Offense
Carolina changed their franchise in the draft last year. Obviously, that's much easier to do with the #1 overall pick and a guy like Cam Newton to take with that pick.
The Panthers are back inside the top 10, and could wind up with one of the elite talents if a team like Miami trades up to draft Ryan Tannehill. Unfortunately, there are 5 top-tier guys and none of those are likely to fall.
Even so, there are plenty of holes on this team to fill and getting an interior lineman or skill player on the edge could really benefit Cam and this offense.
The aforementioned Pollak was signed to mitigate the losses of Mackenzy Bernadeau and Travelle Wharton, although neither are even average players.
Signed Mike Tolbert from San Diego gives the Panthers a backfield, with Newton, that will give defensive players nightmares. Those are two of the hardest guys in the league to bring down on first contact.
Carolina has been working to extend Steve Smith, but outside of him and Greg Olsen, there is a serious drop-off in talent. Nabbing a receiver in the first few rounds of the draft and potentially adding one in the later stages of free agency seems like a must for this team.
Key Free Agents: Derek Anderson QB (re-signed w/ Panthers), Mackenzy Bernadeau G (signed w/ Coyboys), Omar Gaither OLB, Cletis Gordon, Legedu Naanee WR (signed w/ Dolphins), Geoff Schwartz G (signed w/ Vikings), Jeremy Shockey TE, Travelle Wharton G (signed w/ Bengals)
Defense
If Carolina can find any improvement on this side of the ball, the Panthers could start to really make strides. Signing Reggie Smith and Haruki Nakamura will add depth to this secondary, but neither will have a major impact on the defense.
Kenny Onatolu, signed from the Vikings, is probably more of a special teams and depth player.
That leaves big holes at essentially every level of this defense. Chris Gamble is a good corner, but outside of him, this is an extremely limited group.
The defensive line desperately needs some impact players. Charles Johnson is the only player who would even start on most other teams and while he's an excellent pass rusher, he desperately needs help.
Carolina could draft a player at any defensive position and it would make sense. Adding some beef inside by getting a tackle who can rush the passer, but also anchor inside, would relieve a lot of stress on Johnson and this limited secondary.
Getting a corner with some speed and even some return ability would really be a boost to both this defense and special teams. You can never have too many corners in a division with Drew Brees and Matt Ryan.
Key Free Agents: Antwan Applewhite DE (re-signed w/ Panthers), Dan Connor ILB (signed w/ Cowboys), DeMario Pressley DT, Jordan Senn OLB (re-signed w/ Panthers)
Draft Targets
Needs: CB,WR,S,LB, DL
Round 1 (Pick 9): Fletcher Cox DT Mississippi State (Pos. Rank: 1, Overall Rank: 8)
From what I'm hearing, Cox isn't falling this far. It sounds like neither the Rams nor the Jaguars are in love with Justin Blackmon and if he's available, he'd be extremely hard to give up. On the other hand, it's hard to know what to believe now that we're full on into what is known as the "silly season." If Cox or Quinton Coples is here at this pick, either would make the most sense (assuming Blackmon doesn't fall). Cox was dominant, at times, in the SEC and is so athletic some scouts believe he might be better suited to play end due to his combination of power and quickness. Every time I watched him play, I liked him more and more. By the end of the season he was a first round pick, and after wowing scouts in workouts, he's a top 10 talent. He'd be a terrific addition to this struggling defense.
Round 2 (Pick 40): Brandon Boykin CB Georgia (Pos. Rank: 5, Overall Rank: 41)
Round 2 (Pick 40): Brandon Boykin CB Georgia (Pos. Rank: 5, Overall Rank: 41)
To me, this pick comes down to two SEC players: Boykin and LSU wide receiver Rueben Randle. Both are outstanding athletes with speed and quickness to spare. Both are dynamic with the ball and possess terrific hands. Boykin is an undersized corner, whereas Rueben is 6'4" and reportedly ran sub 4.4 40's at his pro day. Boykin, though, plays a position of greater need and would be an asset in the return game. You get the feeling Cam Newton might be the kind of quarterback who can play with just about any group of receivers and he'll throw for 4,000 yards. Boykin would be a playmaker on a secondary without any, but Randle could be awfully hard to bypass.
Round 3 (Pick 73): Traded to Bears for Greg Olson
Round 3 (Pick 73): Traded to Bears for Greg Olson
Overall
With just two picks in the first 100, the Panthers will be under even more pressure to get this draft right. A few missteps here and it could set Cam Newton back a year of his development. Luckily, both picks are in the top 50 and it seems like every year, a few first round talents slip to the top the second round where needy franchises gladly scoop them up. Boykin is a tier below the fringe first round groups, but some red flags could drop first round talents like Alshon Jeffery (who would be an ideal fit for this team, with ties to the area) and Janoris Jenkins right into the lap of the Panthers. Even if that doesn't happen, a player like Boykin has the ball skills and big-play ability to warrant a high pick, not to mention Fletcher Cox has Pro Bowl talent along the interior. The value (0) isn't terrific, but with just two players, both potentially starters, this would be an excellent draft for the Panthers.
Final Thought
There's no questioning this is Cam Newton's team, barring injury, for the next decade. You don't play at the level he played at, set the kinds of records he did as a rookie, without having big-time talent. If this defense improves at all, so too should the Panthers. Improving much on their 6-10 record could be an issue since they get the NFC East and a much improved AFC West, along with the Saints and Falcons twice. Getting to 8-8 or even 7-9 with this schedule should be considered outstanding. With so much talent in the NFC, it's hard to imagine the Panthers pushing their way into the playoffs, but if a they draft well and can get production from their rookies, the post season isn't out of the question. We'll start to find out this season if Cam Newton can be more than just Stats Superman and be a winner in the NFL.
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