re: .

Cam was in an spread option gimmick type offense which is not run in the pros, so there was no film of him playing in a pro style offense (in D1 atleast), so you could only speculate as how effective of a passer he would be under center because throwing and making reads out of the option spread is much different than a pro style offense. Also, running the ball was a huge part of cam's game. You could only speculate as to how effective he would be moving the ball downfield if forced to rely primarily on his throwing.

Basically it comes down to known vs unknowns. All of the unknowns previously stated about cam were knowns with Luck (at the college level).
Cam was the #1 pick because of his upside. Scouts know he has all the tools, but it was just a question of whether or not he would be able to transition from Auburn's offense to a pro style NFL offense. We are now seeing that "upside" coming into fruition.

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Statistically, yes. He is.

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11 TDs 9 ints

2-6

Not elite !!

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as a prospect everyone was saying he sucks.

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Seriously? Every mock draft I saw had him in the first round, some had him low first and others had him high. He ended up going 1st so I think its a bit of a stretch to say everyone thought he would suck.

I think a lot of NFL people were concerned about his work ethic and attitude, I remember hearing Jamarcus name come up a few times. Obviously there were character concerns about him; the stealing of a laptop, grades, the pay for play, all that stuff will get people to question a player. Glad he's proved a lot of people wrong thou, Cam's a lot of fun to watch.

The offense he plays in and because he's white.

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JR played in pro sets...so did

Matt leinart
Kyle boller
JP Losman
Chad Henne
Mark Sanchez
Brady Quinn

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You are just skewing things to your advantage now. No one is saying being in a pro style offense makes you good or is even necessary, but it helps. For example, who would make a better hunter, a kid who grew up in a rural, wooded area or a kid who grew up in the city? More than likely, the first kid, but that isn't to say the second one wouldn't be a good hunter.

Anyway, like everyone else said, the reason Luck is seen as a better prospect is because he is more polished and he is just better at all of the things you mentioned except running outside of the pocket. Cam is good at those things too, but Luck is better.

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11 TDs 9 ints

2-6

Not elite !!

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And he also has 319 rushing yards and 7 TDs on the ground. He's carrying this offense, and every game they have played has come down to the wire. Without Cam, the Panthers are 0-8 and well on their way to another #1 draft pick in next years NFL draft.

Luck is by far a better prospect then anyone we've seen the last 10 years.

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crucial according to the expert is taking snaps under center and dropping back

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Pretty sure it has a lot to do with the way the offense is actually ran also, not necessarily dropping back and where you are taking snaps.

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It's reading a defense under center and while dropping back.

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But you would obviously understand the workings of a pro offense better if you worked in one during college.

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Newton has done a lot better than expected, but he still has a ways to go before he becomes a elite NFL passer.

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Maybe in terms of traditional qb, but he is performing like a top 5 qb today.