NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock is one of the folks not entirely convinced the Panthers will select Cam Newton Thursday night. They could trade down or take a defensive player at No. 1.
If Carolina does take him, Mayock worries about Newton’s drive.
“It’s just this gut feeling I have: I don’t know how great he wants to be,” Mayock said on the Dan Patrick Show Monday. “He’s got all the tools. Mechanically, he’s way beyond where Tim Tebow and Vince Young were as college quarterbacks. . . . He’s got everything on the physical side.”
Mayock just isn’t convinced Newton’s drive to be the best quarterback in the game.
“Something tells me that he’ll be content to be a multimillionaire who’s pretty good,” Mayock said. “And doesn’t get it done for me.”
While admitting Newton has handled the pre-draft process well, it’s telling that a final evaluation of Newton (and others) often comes down to a gut feeling, even for the best draft analysts and decision makers. And Mayock just isn’t feeling Newton.
“I think the kid is smart enough. I just don’t know if he cares enough,” Mayock said. “And I don’t know how you qualify that either. The kid has done everything right.”