He's headed to private workouts around the NFL, as if the pro football scouts, coaches and front-office personnel who watched him Tuesday weren't enough; and he will remain under the tutelage of his private quarterback coach heading to April's draft.
Auburn saved Newton for the last 45 minutes of the five-hour show that featured 22 former Tigers going through all sorts of drills. Newton and defensive tackle Nick Fairley, each just nine days removed from their NFL combine workout, continued their march toward being an early first-round pick.
What they accomplished Tuesday may be subject to interpretation. How they played helping Auburn win the national championship last season may be more important. We go by how they play," said Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix. But the only way you can tell how a guy can play quarterback is when he's being rushed and you've got coverage and you've got to throw it in a tight spot and you've got pressure on you. That's kind of what we go by Eighty percent, probably. Newton figures to have already passed that test.
He won the Heisman Trophy, led the SEC in rushing and finished second in the nation in passing efficiency. He also helped Auburn to a record. Nix was asked if he learned something Tuesday about Newton that he didn't know.
The same went for Fairley, who may be the first overall pick. He has great ability, feet, speed and bursts and all of those things. He's a good player. He makes plays on Saturday, and he'll make them again on Sundays. Newton won on Saturdays, too, but there are questions NFL executives still want to know about his makeup and his past.
