Questions and drama abound with less than four weeks remaining until the NFL draft. USA TODAY's Jim Corbett considers 10 questions looming over the draft, a locked-out league's last open door:  Q: Where will Cam Newton go?  A: The 2010 Heisman Trophy winner is the true wild-card of this draft, similar in terms of scrutiny but different overall from former 2010 draft highlighter Tim Tebow. He was selected 25th overall by the Broncos last year and didn't come with the character questions Newton does.  Newton has a cannon arm, rare mobility and strength that reminds some of a young Steve McNair. But he must answer maturity questions. At his combine news media interview, Newton felt the need to read an opening statement, addressing regret about saying he wanted to be known "not only as a football player, but as an entertainer and an icon,'' in an interview with Sports Illustrated's Peter King.  CONTROVERSY: Warren Moon defends Newton against perceived racial bias  NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said Newton has "a big arm and better mechanics" than Tebow or Vince Young. But two questions persist for him.  "He comes out of a very simple (spread) pass offense at Auburn. It's basically one look and either the ball comes out or he comes out," Mayock said. "Can he process and assimilate from a football IQ perspective a complicated NFL pass offense?"  "And No. 2, there's some baggage to the kid. You've got to figure that out.''  The Panthers may ultimately decide that Newton has too much upside to pass on.  New 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh called Newton's upside, "plutonium-grade raw material,'' adding he hasn't seen "upside like with this guy in probably the last 10 years.''  Newton's advisor, Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon, got the vibe the Panthers are sold on Newton as the quarterback they've locked onto as the No. 1 overall pick.  "Ron Rivera came and watched him practice the day before his pro day as Cam was going through his routine for the pro day and said, 'I've seen all I need to see as far as him throwing a football. I'm already convinced there. We just need to talk to him more about who he is and get to know him a little bit better,''' Moon said.  "The Panthers had a great meeting with him over dinner that night.  "I think they came away very impressed with the kid. It's just a matter of whether they want to go defense or offense. If they go quarterback, it'll be Cam.''  "I've heard from three different guys, head coaches and general managers that's he's one of a kind,'' Moon said. "Cam's one of those you can't pass up on him.  "Those are pretty strong comments when you consider all of the great quarterbacks who have come into this league for them to say he's one of a kind…  "He's as physical as Steve McNair but also has the elusiveness of a Josh Freeman. Cam's a great combination of the two … Cam's definitely special and he can raise the level of people around him very quickly."  Agent Bus Cook said Newton will be visiting the Panthers this week. "Cam goes to Carolina tomorrow evening and is in Carolina tomorrow and Wednesday,'' Cook said.  Mayock projects Gabbert as the best quarterback in this draft class. Buffalo Bills coach Chan Gailey, whose team picks third, might be the ideal landing spot for the quarterback still on the board, either Newton or Gabbert.  Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick is a selfless, productive signal caller who can hold down the position until Newton or Gabbert is ready.  Asked about Gabbert and Newton at the owners meetings coaches breakfast, Gailey said, "I can tell you right now, there is no question they have outstanding skill sets. Both of them. Not average, not above average, outstanding -- to play early and long.''  Q: Who is the best defensive player in this draft?A: The two safest picks in this draft might be either LSU cornerback/returner Patrick Peterson or Texas A&M linebacker Von Miller. Neither position is traditionally deemed No. 1-worthy. But that might be changing in an increasingly pass-centric league.  Both playmakers can affect the quarterback and Peterson is a two-fer player with special abilities as a punt returner. Miller is a heat-seeking missile off the edge. He had 17 sacks as a junior before an ankle injury slowed him last season when he rang up 10-1/2 sacks. His rare explosiveness makes him a coveted commodity as a potential sack master fitting the en vogue 3-4 scheme.  Peterson could wind up supplanting Shawn Springs -- selected third overall by Seattle in 1997 -- as the highest-drafted cornerback in the modern era should either Carolina or the Denver Broncos, who select second, pull the trigger.  Could Rivera envision a corner going first overall?  "Why not a guy at that position?'' Rivera wondered at the owners meetings. "People say, 'Well, there's never been one taken higher than third. But if this guy is going to impact us the most, then you most certainly would seriously consider taking a corner first, especially the direction the league is headed as far as throwing the football more.''  Q: Who's the best defensive lineman in a first round studded by potentially 14 defensive linemen?  A: Alabama DT Marcell Dareus gets the nod because of his versatility and his pedigree, having been coached in a pro-ready defense by former Miami Dolphins head coach Nick Saban.  Dareus is a 6-3, 309-pound beast with the strength, technique and strong hands to fight off double teams and collapse the pocket -- the quickest, most direct way to affect the quarterback.  Dareus' body of work projects him as the surer bet over Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley.  Q: Who is the best offensive playmaker in this draft?  A: Georgia wide receiver A.J. Green gets the nod over Alabama's Julio Jones, who wowed at the combine with his explosiveness and toughness, running a 4.34-second, 40-yard dash and working out in his position drills despite a broken bone in his foot.  Pro Football Weekly draft analyst Nolan Nawrocki said the 6-4, 212-pound Green is special and boasts the rare blend of length, speed, sure hands and leaping ability to join the rarefied company of Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, Houston's Andre Johnson and Detroit's Calvin Johnson as elite playmakers.  Green caught 23 touchdowns in 27 starts at Georgia.  Q: Will Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan draft a quarterback?  A: With Donovan McNabb seemingly no longer in Shanahan's plans, the Redskins could use the 10th overall pick on a quarterback. Or he could find a trade partner to get back into the bottom of the first round where an ultra-athletic quarterback such as Washington's Jake Locker could be the play. Shanahan compared Locker to his former Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer at the combine.  Nawrocki said TCU QB Andy Dalton has rising draft prospects and could be a Shanahan target.  "He knows where to go with the ball and when," Nawrocki said. "That's what Mike is looking for. He doesn't necessarily need a John Elway or a Jay Cutler to make his offense go.  "He can get away with a Jake Plummer or a Brian Griese, just somebody he can trust and does what he's told.  Q: Who is the best offensive tackle in this draft?A: Unlike years past, there doesn't appear to be an elite, sure-fire, blind-side protector among the top 10 of this year's class. Or is there?  Top prospects Anthony Castonzo of Boston College, Nate Solder of Colorado, Tyron Smith of Southern California, Derek Sherrod of Mississippi State and Gabe Carimi of Wisconsin all may be better suited to playing the right side. But with some vision and coaching, the feeling is there are some potential left tackles given the right system and coaching.  The 6-5, 300 Smith showed with his athleticism and smooth footwork during Southern California's March 30 pro day that he might be the best pass protector and a left tackle-in-waiting for a team willing to invest a top pick and time.  The Dallas Cowboys, who pick ninth need to keep franchise quarterback Tony Romo upright for 16 regular-season games this season, could be the first to take the tackle plunge.  Q: Will Indianapolis Colts team president Bill Polian secure a left-tackle protector for Peyton Manning with the 22nd overall pick?  A: Last season, Polian expressed regret on his weekly radio show that he passed on St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Roger Saffold. The Colts haven't had a blue-chip left tackle since Tarik Glenn retired after the 2006 season. Charlie Johnson has done a solid job but his more natural position is likely at guard.  Manning, the four-time league MVP, is too valuable for the pass-first Colts not to get him a more sturdy, more natural blind-side protector.  "This past year may have been one of Peyton's best ever just because that offensive line was so poor last year,'' Nawrocki said. "It has fallen to such a low level that Bill Polian will have to take a very hard look at the tackle position. There will be a tackle value at the mid-to-late first round staring at him. It's more likely he will address the position this year.  Q: Who will be the most active trading team considering that during the lockout only picks, not veterans, can be traded?A: Trader Bill Belichick figures to be the most active wheeler dealer given New England's six picks within the first 92 selections, and with so many teams desperate for quarterback help perhaps looking to get back into the bottom of the first round.  The Patriots select 17th, 28th and 33rd, which effectively is a first-round pick at a second-round price.  Figure Belichick to be working the phones with teams such as Cincinnati (34th overall) and San Francisco (40th overall) perhaps looking to move back into the first round for their future quarterback considering Gabbert and Newton are likely gone within the first three picks.  Locker, Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett and Florida State's Christian Ponder could be targeted by teams seeking to trade into the first round.  Q: Who is likely to be considered the steal of the first round?  A: There are several candidates including Florida guard/center Mike Pouncey, who like his twin brother (Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey) projects as a plug-and-play starter at any of the three interior positions. Mayock said at the scouting combine that North Carolina DE Robert Quinn, who had 11 sacks in two seasons but was suspended last year after an NCAA investigation found that he had accepted benefits from an agent.  "He's as good a natural pass rusher as I've ever seen,'' Mayock said.  Nebraska CB Prince Amukamara also could surprise.Q: When all is said and done, whose name do the Panthers put on their card when they're on the clock?  A: Mayock believes it will be Gabbert.  "There's no bullet-proof quarterback in this draft, but Gabbert is the cleanest,'' said Mayock, who compared the Missouri quarterback's pro-day workout favorably with Bradford's that sealed the deal as last year's No. 1 pick.  Rivera and Hurney ultimately have to anser this question:  Do they have a quarterback on their roster capable of winning a Super Bowl? Or is Gabbert poised to do that for them when he realizes his upside next year or a few years from now?  ESPN analyst Todd McShay said he ultimately sees the Panthers taking Dareus because Hurney isn't ready to give up on last year's second-round pick, quarterback Jimmy Clausen, despite his 1-9 record as a starter.  "Are you going to live through another year of Jimmy Clausen?'' McShay wondered. "Are you better off continuing to build around that quarterback position and becoming a better football team?.  "Ultimately, I think Dareus is one of the four, elite, elite players in this draft and having the need that they have at the defensive tackle position, right now to me, he makes the most sense."  See photos of: NFL, Carolina Panthers, NFL Draft, Cam Newton
10 questions: Is Cam Newton the front-runner for No. 1 overall pick? - The Huddle: Football News from the NFL - USATODAY.com