The 2021 NFL Draft will be a great event for teams to start building for their future. Here is the Greg Newsome II 2021 NFL Draft Profile.
Position: Cornerback
Size: 6-foot-, 192 pounds
Class: Junior
2020 stats: 12 total tackles, 1 interception, 7 passes defended
Newsome was a shutdown corner at Northwestern for three seasons. He is now headed to the 2021 NFL Draft.
As a recruit, Newsome was a three-star prospect who decided to stay in Chicago and play for Northwestern. For his freshman season, Newsome played in six games totaling 23 tackles and four passes defended. He saw the field more as a sophomore and had 28 total tackles and nine passes defended. Although Newsome played well, Northwestern limped to a 3-9 record. As a junior in 2020, Newsome recorded 12 tackles, one interception and seven passes defended in a limited season that saw him opt out. His play helped Northwestern reach the Big Ten Championship Game.
After opting out during the 2020 season, Newsome had already played well enough to be considered an early round pick. He is currently projected to be a first or second round pick.
Greg Newsome
Newsome is a good press corner, as he uses his decent length and good strength well at the snap of the ball. He has good physicality and really disrupts the opposing receiver at the start of the play. His work often times throws off the whole timing of the play for an offense.
He has loose hips and is flexible. This helps him as he backpedals. Once he needs to turn to run with a wide receiver, he can transition his body in a fluid manner from backpedaling to running. This helps him stick with the receiver and not lose ground when he cuts.
In man coverage, Newsome shows that he can mirror receivers well down the field. Whether he is in press or not, he stays with the route and makes it tough for a quarterback to complete a pass to the man he is covering. He is also good in zone coverage, but his man to man is where he can really show his abilities to shut down a receiver.
His ball production leaves a lot to be desired. While he has moments where he attacks the catch point well, there are other times where he loses the ball. He will leave some interceptions on the table, but he does have some passes defended in his career. Newsome has just one career interception.
Newsome can get beat deep and when he does, he is often times called for penalties. When he gets behind he resorts to grabbing. He had way too many pass interference calls go agaisnt him at the college level and that could get worse when he faces better athletes in the pros.
He doesn’t have the best awareness for a corner. Sometimes he will be a step late in responding to what he sees and other times it takes him a while to understand what the offense is doing. Newsome only played in 21 career games, so that may be fixed with more reps.
Projected Draft Range: First Round Pick-Second Round Pick
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