Former Buffalo Bills safety and current National Football Post author Matt Bowen spoke with an NFL scout on Thursday regarding Auburn quarterback Cam Newton's media-only workout. The scout's consensus: Newton's workout wouldn't have any impact on the NFL's grading process, and that the event "makes no sense".
Turns out, that scout was probably half right. Newton's grades won't have changed because of one shorts workout, but considering how much positive press he has gotten over the past 17 hours - most of it via ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer - it's pretty clear that the workout made a great deal of sense. Despite a little backlash from people in the league, Newton has clearly gained from this gamble.
"He's gonna skyrocket up the boards," Dilfer said, "because as guys are just now diving into his game film - which I did all week long - you begin to get a feel for how talented this player is, and what a good quarterback he is."
Dilfer was impressed with the progress Newton has made technically under quarterback coach George Whitfield.
"George Whitfield, his quarterback coach, has done a masterful job coaching him from the feet up," Dilfer said. "He showed great balance, he showed great foot energy as he did drop back and take snaps from under center."
The former Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl champion signal-caller was also impressed with the difficulty of the workout Newton did in front of the cameras.
"This is a guy that in his workout threw about 30 very challenging throws, and in each one of those throws he kept his eyes down the center of the football field, spun his eyes back to the perimeter, and delivered the ball early with anticipation," said Dilfer. "This is a gifted, gifted passer - something I don't think many people know.
"These were throws down the football field into a pretty stiff wind… I mean, this wind is probably blowing probably 10, 15 miles an hour, in his face. He knifed the ball through the wind. He controlled it very well; the ball spins very nice off of his hand. And because of that, I thought it was a more challenging workout than many of these other guys will have."
Newton spoke briefly with reporters after the workout, stating that he will be working at the NFL Combine in two weeks. He did not, however, confirm which drills he would be performing.