By Joe Schackman
I was so wrong about Cam Newton that it’s slightly embarrassing.
Honestly, I thought he was going to be a draft bust. Outside of Mike Vick, I had grown so accustomed to seeing the dual-threat quarterback fail time and time again. I was so used seeing to the Vince Young's of the league flame out. Little did I know, by the end of Newton’s first season he would own just about every rookie quarterback record you would want. I was wrong about Cam Newton and now I seriously hope I'm wrong about Darron Thomas.
Despite playing football, Thomas is probably the best point guard on the University of Oregon campus. With weapons like running backs LaMichael James and De'Anthony Thomas, Darron Thomas at times could simply hand/dump the ball off and let those guys go to work.
But that says so little about what Thomas brings to the table. He is the captain of one of the most unique offenses in college football, one built on speed between the whistles and before it. They run plays 32% faster than the average college football team, and Thomas is the one in charge of it all. He’s got to get everyone to the line and and then distribute the ball to his play makers. He has to play fast and think even faster.
After two years running Oregon’s hypercharged system, Thomas has proved he can handle a complicated offense and read defenses. Not to mention, he’s 6’3”, 215 pounds and can run the ball with power and speed, prime attributes for a modern NFL quarterback. Those skills produced 33 touchdowns against just seven interceptions, as well as three scores on the ground. Thomas will need to fix some mechanical and footwork issues to overcome less-than-ideal arm strength, but he excels in all other areas of the quarterback position.
Following an NFL season where the "less talented" quarterbacks have emerged as quality starters, it might be time that we give college success more weight in predicting the future results, particularly with quarterbacks.
With guys like Alex Smith and Tim Tebow leading their respective teams to the playoffs despite gaudy passing numbers, it may mean Darron Thomas, who won two Pac-10/12 titles and a Rose Bowl, deserves a shot at quarterback in the NFL. Not because he has some mythical "winning" gene but because he and others like him work hard and have high football IQs. They are comfortable playing under pressure, being leaders and handling success. Just because they can’t yet throw the perfect back shoulder fade doesn’t mean they can’t command and manage an NFL offense.
Darron Thomas is by no means a top draft choice. He won't go on the first day, and some feel he might not be taken at all. But if some team is willing to take a shot on him and develop him over a few seasons, they may have found themselves a very cheap and low-risk Cam Newton.
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