Former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton impressed NFL observers by running the 40-yard dash in fewer than 4.6 seconds at the Scouting Combine.
At least one veteran scout was far less impressed by his workout.
The scout, who works for a team that has no short-term or long-term need at the quarterback position, said that Newton “looks terrible.”
Opinions may very well vary. The reality, however, is that teams that love a player will be inclined to say bad things about him, both to throw other teams off the scent and in the hopes that the player will be available when the team uses its first draft pick. Teams that hate a player will be inclined to say they love a player, in the hopes that someone else will burn a pick on the guy, pushing truly coveted players farther done the board.
In this case, our source would be far more inclined to rave about Newton, ensuring that he’ll be taken with an early pick.
The assessment comes in stark contrast to Newton’s media-only workout from earlier in the month. Of course, if a guy looks good in T-shirts and shorts and without coverages to read to 300-pound linemen to avoid, it really doesn’t mean anything. If the player doesn’t look good in that controlled environment, it’s a potential problem.
It remains to be seen how many other scouts agree that Newton didn’t look good -- and whether they’ll be candid about it.