2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Greg Newsome

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Greg Newsome II, 6-1/190 Cornerback Northwestern

Greg Newsome II Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Man cover corner

Quick; can run with speed receivers

Excellent at not allowing separation

Length; hard to get ball around him

Good ball skills

Physical; will battle receivers

Doesn’t panic with the ball in the air coming at him

Great size to match up with big receivers

Plays well in off-man coverage

Ability to run with receivers in their routes

Can play press-man coverage

Willing run defender

Confident; has the man-corner mentality

Used to playing on an island

Loose hips; can turn and run

Good in zone

Fast backpedal

Quick feet

Upside

Weaknesses:

Major durability issues

Despite fast 40, could have some issues with NFL deep speed

Can be a bit grabby and overly physical

Summary: Under head coach Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern has produced a lot of tough football players who battle hard and play old-school, physical football. The Chicago, Illinois product Newsome is no different, and he fits right in with the mentality of the Wildcats’ defense. As a freshman in 2018, Newsome played in six games, totaling 23 tackles and four passes broken up. He then saw the field for nine games in 2019, making 36 tackles and 11 breakups. As a junior in 2020, Newsome played six contests, dealing with a groin injury for a while, and notched 12 tackles, an interception and 10 passes broken up. Newsome dealt with injuries in each of his collegiate seasons.

Newsome is a tall corner who has long arms, quick feet, speed and physicality. He can match up with fast receivers and blanket them in and out of their breaks. Newsome runs the routes with receivers and prevents them from getting separation.

Newsome has quick feet and agility. He can flip his hips open and run with receivers down the field, and his long frame makes it difficult to get passes around him. Newsome also has the size and physicality to take on big receivers. For the NFL, he will be an asset in the red zone and able to win the 50-50 throws. Newsome has No. 1-corner potential in the NFL in terms of pure coverage ability.



Newsome is a good contributor in the ground game, as he is a willing tackler who will come downhill and pack a punch. Newsome is comfortable playing near the tackle box and shows aggressiveness to make some plays in the backfield. As a pro, he is going to be appreciated by his coaches for his ability and willingness to defend the run. That is a blessing and a curse, however; Newsome is very physical and throws his body around, but he has significant injury history already and one has to question if he physically hold up in the NFL with that style of play.

Team sources say the big knock on Newsome is durability. Due to his repeated injuries at Northwestern, many scouts harbor serious doubts regarding whether Newsome can stay healthy in the NFL.

Newsome’s pro day was a surprise to scouts. Sources who were theresaid he ran faster than expected in the 40, but was not as fluid and did not look as good as expected in the field drills. They feel Newsome can be grabby and a bit overly physical, so cutting down on those things would reduce his penalties in the NFL.

Newsome is on the bubble between the first and second round in the 2021 NFL Draft. The durability issue is holding his stock down.



Player Comparison: Kevin Johnson. There are a lot of similarities between Newsome and Johnson. Both were very talented cornerbacks with the ability to run the route and prevent separation. They displayed the speed to cover and very physical with how they threw their bodies around. Johnson was an excellent corner in 2015 and 2016 before injuries derailed his career. The injuries depleted his physical talent, leading to him not being the same player.

Newsome is similar with excellent cover skills, but having major durability issues. If a player has a hard time staying healthy in college, it is tough to project that changing in the NFL with the bigger, stronger, faster competition to go along with the longer and more physically demanding season.

2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2021 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford Tutu Atwell, WR, Louisville Jhamon Ausbon, WR, Texas A&M Aaron Banks, G, Notre Dame Christian Barmore, DT, Alabama Carlos Basham, DE, Wake Forest Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina Spencer Brown, OT, Northern Iowa Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa Sam Cosmi, OT, Texas Jabril Cox, LB, LSU Christian Darrisaw, OT, Virginia Tech Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky Wyatt Davis, G, Ohio State Landon Dickerson, C, Alabama Liam Eichenberg, OT, Notre Dame D'Wayne Eskridge, WR, Western Michigan Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh Pat Freiermuth, TE, Penn State Kenny Gainwell, RB, Memphis Richie Grant, S, Central Florida Najee Harris, RB, Alabama Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State Trey Hill, C, Georgia Jevon Holland, S, Oregon Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina James Hudson, OT, Cincinnati Talanoa Hufanga, S, USC Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State Mac Jones, QB, Alabama Patrick Jones, DE, Pittsburgh Brevin Jordan, TE, Miami Kelvin Joseph, CB, Kentucky Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson Alex Leatherwood, OT, Alabama Walker Little, OT, Stanford Hunter Long, TE, Boston College Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU Jalen Mayfield, OT, Michigan Tre' McKitty, TE, Georgia Davis Mills, QB, Stanford Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU Elijah Molden, CB, Washington Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M Dan Moore Jr., OT, Texas A&M Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama Israel Mukuamu, CB, South Carolina Jamie Newman, QB, Wake Forest Greg Newsome, CB, Northwestern Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa Dayo Odeyingbo, DE, Vanderbilt Osa Odighizuwa, DT, UCLA Azeez Ojulari, LB, Georgia Levi Onwuzurike, DT, Washington Joseph Ossai, LB, Texas Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State Jeremiah Owusu-Koromoah, LB, Notre Dame Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan Ronnie Perkins, OLB, Oklahoma Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida Dillon Radunz, OT, North Dakota Aaron Robinson, CB, Central Florida Quincy Roche, OLB, Miami Larry Rountree, RB, Missouri Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State Trey Sermon, RB, Ohio State Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon Tyler Shelvin, DT, LSU Rashawn Slater, C, Northwestern DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama D'Ante Smith, OT, East Carolina Trey Smith, G, Tennessee Marquez Stevenson, WR, Houston Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, Oklahoma Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida Kyle Trask, QB, Florida Joe Tryon, DE, Washington Jay Tufele, DT, USC Payton Turner, DE, Houston T.J. Vasher, WR, Texas Tech Alijah Vera-Tucker, OT, USC Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State Rashad Weaver, DE, Pittsburgh Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina Rodarius Williams, CB, Oklahoma State Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

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