Cam Newton already has anointed himself an “entertainer and icon.” He apparently considered adding “Hall of Famer” to his resume, too, before learning you actually have to play in the NFL to get in.

Say this much for Newton, though: One thing he won’t need in the pros is a publicist.

Even before throwing a pass at the NFL combine, and right after making the “icon” remark to Sports Illustrated, Newton told Yahoo! Sports that one year playing quarterback at Auburn convinced him he was ready to take his talents to the next level.

“I don’t want to sound arrogant,” Newton said, “but I did something in one year people couldn’t do in their whole collegiate careers.”

True enough — and even more impressive when you consider he won a national title and the Heisman Trophy with NCAA investigators on his trail. So while Newton won’t have to worry about getting his team on probation in the NFL, he’ll hardly lack for challenges to occupy his time.

The easiest stretch begins this week at the combine in Indianapolis. The coaches lining up for interviews may not think much of Newton’s confidence as a public speaker so far, but there’s plenty in his attitude to admire.

Newton has volunteered to run the gamut of tests there with no exceptions. No “pro day” at Auburn for invited guests only, no limit on how many drills he runs, throws he makes or weightlifting reps in front of a full array of scouts. More telling, perhaps, Newton has promised to answer every question he gets.

The eligibility issues that dogged his every step at Auburn — the same ones that could still come back and take a bigger bite out of the school’s reputation and his — won’t matter to the pros.

What they will care about, though, is the decision-making process behind all those issues. It’s one thing for a college kid to get into trouble, learn a lesson and move on. It’s another for a kid as poised as Newton to say the right things, then display a sense of entitlement that makes those words ring hollow.

If Newton is just confident, fine.

Then again, confidence wasn’t a problem for Ryan Leaf and Jamarcus Russell, either. But it becomes an occupational hazard in the NFL if it’s not tempered by hard work and diligence. The NFL is brimming with cautionary tales about can’t-miss prospects who were big, strong, fast and skilled enough — and believed it before they ever proved it on the field.

If nothing else, Newton said he is willing to be tested.

“Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, you look at how good they are every year,” Newton told Yahoo! Sports earlier this week. “The question is how do they do it? Nothing you can point to but hard work.”

Here’s hoping that being entertaining isn’t the only thing Newton has been working hard on ahead of his pro debut.