Looking back, the Carolina Panthers made the right choice to draft Cam Newton with the No. 1 pick in 2011. A three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, the Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 as well as the league MVP, Newton has established himself as a prominent NFL player capable of leading his team to the Super Bowl.
On Sunday, Carolina play host to the San Francisco 49ers and starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who Ron Rivera says the Panthers liked in the 2011 draft, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
“As you go through it, you look for certain things, certain characteristics. And probably the biggest difference was the situation Cam had been in, going through the adversity and then coming out on top,” Rivera said. “Cam was tremendously impressive, and Blaine did a nice job for us.”
No one will argue that Gabbert should have been the No. 1 pick ahead of Newton, but it’s interesting to learn that the Panthers at least considered him. Bigger, stronger and faster, Newton was the clear choice, but Gabbert had similar qualities, and he is beginning to really show his mobility. He had nine rushes for 43 yards against the Rams, including four first-downs.
