The talk of the NFL Scouting Combine — at least as far as quarterbacks go — has been Cam Newton. And then followed by Cam Newton, with a little more Cam Newton sprinkled in. Although to be fair, there also has been some talk about Cam Newton.

So it makes sense that Alabama QB Greg McElroy wants to talk about Newton, too. Only, you might be surprised about what he said, telling Dan Patrick that he is better prepared to play in the NFL right now than Newton is.

“Obviously, my talent level has a much lower ceiling than Cam,” McElroy said. “That’s fair, and I respect and understand that. But I don’t think I’m the only guy in the NFL that might have that same problem. I don’t think Peyton Manning is as athletic as Cam.”

Wait, what? Did he just knock Manning? Oh, he’s going to pay for that one.

But McElroy did point out that his experience with a pro-style offense, his ability to drop back from under center and ability to check down on the defense put him ahead at this point. McElroy also won a national championship and was 24-3 as a starter at Alabama.

“As far as understanding and processing information . . . five years down the road will he be a more productive player than me? That remains to be seen,” McElroy said.

NFL Network analyst Charles Davis reported from the Senior Bowl that McElroy really helped himself by being able to make the tough throws. Teams had no doubts about his smarts — McElroy confirmed he scored a near-perfect 48 on his Wonderlic test. But Davis said he will need to be able to make those throws in order to convince scouts he can play in the NFL.

NFL.com Senior Analyst Gil Brandt projects McElroy as a seventh-round draft pick. Brandt had McElroy rated as the 13th-ranked senior quarterback heading into the 2010 season. The top nine of Gil’s picks were selected to perform at the combine.

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