The fate of Cam Newton might not rest in the hands of Cam Newton.

To me, the ultimate formula for a bust is playing a kid too early.  I'm not sure if you could possibly make an argument that Cam Newton will be ready to play as a rookie.  Let's go over why...

• He has never played in a pro-style offense (Auburn's spread, read-&-react is way different).   This alone brings up many smaller issues like his footwork, ability to read coverages, go through progressions without just taking off running, etc.
• He doesn't have enough experience at high-level football (only 1 year of NCAA D-1).
• Newton seriously needs to improve his accuracy.
 

Auburn's Spread Offense.  Newton is on the 39-yard line.  
Does that look like anything in the NFL?

This is pretty much Auburn's offense.  After the snap, Newton will have an option
to hand the ball off to his running back.  If Newton keeps the ball, he could either draw
or stand up and throw, or stand up like he's throwing, then run.  Either way, in Auburn's
offense, Newton never takes the ball from the center and drops back, and can run 
anytime he pleases.  
Which is my point about Newton needing time to adjust to a pro-style offense.

 And you also have to consider the fact that if Newton came in and started right away, he would have a weak team around him.  He would be throwing to mediocre recievers and would struggle adjusting to the pro game.   There is no type of offense in the NFL where the QB always starts in the shotgun and runs an option-give.  

So what am I getting at here?
The point that I'm making here is that if a team takes Newton in the Top 10 and brings him in to start either right away or simply too early, Newton won't be successful, because he will be thrown into a job he's not ready for (so it won't really be his fault).  Before a team brings him into the starting role, they need to be sure he is ready, and they need to have built an offense around him.  Can Newton be successful on the Panthers right now, with their terrible WR and TE corps?  I highly doubt it. 

Coming from the other side in this conversation, what if a team gives Newton 3 full seasons on the bench to develop his skills and knowledge, and then builds a very strong offense to go around Newton, but Newton still struggles?  Then Cam Newton is a BUST, plain and simple.  In that case, Newton did control his fate, and it steered towards that of Ryan Leaf and JaMarcus Russell.  But that will never happen.

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and give me a REC if you feel I earned it.