John Clayton compared Cam Newton, Auburn's Heisman Trophy winning quarterback, to Ben Roethlisberger the other day and now Mike Sando of ESPN.com is doing the same, and drawing even more parallels.
They are not the same QB, but the similarities are there. One difference, as Sando points out, the team that drafts Newton won't have the support system in place that the Steelers had for Roethlisberger. Sando also wonders if Roethlisberger's first NFL offensive coordinator should be the coach that takes Newton in the draft.
They stand 6-foot-5 and weigh more than 240 pounds. Both quarterbacks possess the strength and mobility to extend plays even after defenders latch onto them. They have strong arms, but both struggled with accuracy at the NFL scouting combine. Scouts thought both could have used more seasoning at the college level.
Ben Roethlisberger seemed like a solid citizen upon leaving Miami (Ohio), but character concerns cropped up once he reached the NFL. Cam Newton's character came into question before and during his brief career at Auburn. Both have run afoul of the law.
Roethlisberger struggled to read defenses early in his NFL career, a concern for Newton after two seasons as a college starter, including only one at the NCAA Division I level.
The similarities between Roethlisberger and Newton do not line up across the board. Newton has superior speed and raw running ability. Scouts thought Roethlisberger possessed strong leadership skills and an admirable work ethic in college. They sound less convinced about Newton on those fronts. Still, these quarterbacks share enough in common to make me wonder whether Roethlisberger's first offensive coordinator with the Steelers, Ken Whisenhunt, should view Newton as a similarly gifted prospect and someone his current team, the Arizona Cardinals, might consider drafting fifth overall this year.
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