2021 NFL Draft Prospect Profile: CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern

Looking for an excellent value on Day 2 among the cornerbacks? Greg Newsome II of Northwestern is your man and his versatility is going to make some team very happy.

CB GREG NEWSOME II 

Height: 6'1"
Weight: 190 lbs.
Class: Junior
School: Northwestern

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He was a local product for Northwestern--was born and raised in Chicago but ended up attending the esteemed IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Newsome II was a three-star recruit who was heavily pursued in the 2018 cycle.

He earned a spot on the First Team All Big-10 in 2020 with his outstanding play for the Wildcats. He suffered a groin injury in the 2020 Big-10 Championship game against Ohio State, and he sat out the upcoming bowl game to prepare for the NFL Draft.

Newsome II intrigues me; he played in Northwestern’s heavy zone Cover-3 defense (often in a quarter turn with his back to the sidelines), but he did show impressive man traits.

He only had one career interception on 114 targets. He had a career completion percentage of 56.1% with a 35.3% 2020 season, per PFF. Newsome II had 64 tackles in his career, 15 passes defended, and surrendered five touchdowns, but none in 2020.

Traits

He is a small (6’1") cornerback who is long and lean. He has a quick-twitch nature to his skill set. He possesses good overall short-area burst, very good change of direction, and excellent footwork and fluidity in space. He also has good long and recovery speed. His hips are very good and swivel well when needed--he doesn’t pop up or lose balance in his transitions.

Newsome II has very quick feet and is good when asked to be near the line of scrimmage. Typically lined up a bit off in a quarter turn outside shade. Showed good feet and stance in his backpedal and did show disruptive ability at the line of scrimmage in jam/press. Stayed low and played with solid play strength on his jam and rides--he forces receivers to the sideline.

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He plays with very good balance. He doesn’t panic and trusts his instincts and what he sees in zone coverage--stays calm. He uses excellent angles, combined with his good quickness and lateral movement skills, on wide receiver breaks. He is a high processing cornerback who sees the field well in zone coverage.

He has the footwork, athletic ability, and hips/length to be very effective in man coverage at the next level. Maintains leverage and solidly stays in phase. He can get a bit grabby at the top of quick-breaking routes in man, and he must trust his instincts and his positioning a bit more--he had 15 career penalties, most being pass interference.

He did a very good job getting to the catch point and playing aggressively through the catch point. He only had one career interception, which is troublesome, but showed excellent disruption ability in 2020. Times and locates the ball in the air well most of the time. He isn’t fooled much by route combinations and is rarely out of position.

His leaner frame doesn’t help on downfield passes against bigger receivers. However, he’s still very solid in run support and has no issue throwing his weight around and delivering powerful tackles. He wraps up ball carriers and drives his legs.

Overall, Newsome II is a smart, long cornerback with great feet, hips, and good athletic ability who can play in any system. He has a lot of experience in Cover-3 schemes, but he could function just fine as a man corner in a press defense as well. He should be a second-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. 

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