GLENDALE, Ariz. — Nothing, not even the pain in his back, a byproduct of some fierce hits by Oregon’s surprisingly nasty defense, was going to damper Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s mood.
Newton had just helped the Tigers nip the Ducks, 22-19, on Monday night in University of Phoenix Stadium in a BCS title game for the ages. Newton was more tough than he was dazzling, though he did make some terrific throws.
One question, however, gave him pause: How does the outcome of the game affect his decision to turn pro?
“I’m not going to make a decision right now,” he said.
It seems unlikely that Newton will return for his senior season. He’ll turn 22 one month after the NFL’s April draft, assuming a lockout doesn’t scrap Mel Kiper’s favorite weekend of the year.
“I think he’s a heckuva prospect,” said one highly regarded NFL talent evaluator, who is not allowed to comment on the record because Newton has not declared for the draft. “He’s got charisma, rare size and athleticism, and I think his throwing is better than people give him credit for. He makes throwing look easy.”
Newton has done all he can do in college: won a national championship, led his team to a perfect 14-0 season, took home the Heisman Trophy, eluded NCAA investigators and improved at the nuances of playing his position.
“He’s going to be a project but a project that is worthy of being a first-round pick,” former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer, now an ESPN analyst, told The Post. “If he needs to he can use his physical strength and size to extend the play like Ben Roethlisberger.”
Roethlisberger is 6-foot-5, 241 pounds; Newton is 6-foot-6, 250 pounds.
Dilfer said when he saw Newton in person early in the season, he was not impressed. But watching him later in the season on television, Dilfer saw marked improvement.
“His ability to throw the ball on rhythm, especially on the perimeter, really improved,” Dilfer said. “Finding his second receiver and accuracy also improved.”
With quarterback Andrew Luck’s decision to return to Stanford, Newton would be the highest-rated player at the position. That could change if Washington’s Jake Locker impresses more than Newton in workouts or if Missouri’s Blaine Gabbert decides to come out.
“If I had a choice between drafting Tim Tebow or Cam Newton, I’d draft Newton,” former Cowboys general manager Gil Brandt said on his website.
Newton’s safe play is to leave as the most accomplished player in Auburn history. It is unlikely the NCAA will find evidence that Newton received extra benefits, but he needn’t worry about sanctions if he’s out of college.
Newton completed 20 of 34 passes for 265 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the title game. He overthrew a wide open Darvin Adams on one play, but made a beautiful anticipation throw to Kodi Burns that resulted in a 32-yard touchdown. He ran for 64 yards on 22 carries.
As Newton said before he left the post-game press conference to get treatment on his back, “We got the last laugh.”