Packers 2021 Redraft: Fourth-Round Pick Royce Newman

It’s always easy to make draft picks nine months after the fact. So, did the Green Bay Packers make the right call with Royce Newman in the fourth round?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Hindsight is always 20/20, especially when it comes to the NFL Draft. A lot of things go into whether or not a draft pick was worth the investment. Was the scouting department’s projection correct? Was the player a good fit for the scheme? Was he given the proper coaching? How does he handle life as a professional?

With that as a backdrop, let’s revisit the Green Bay Packers’ 2021 draft class in a series of stories. Nine players were selected, including fourth-round pick Royce Newman with the 142nd overall selection.

Before the Draft

With All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari coming off a torn ACL and Pro Bowl left guard Elgton Jenkins slated to replace him, the Packers were a man down on the line. Moreover, of the three sixth-round picks that general manager Brian Gutekunst used on offensive linemen in 2020, only guard Jon Runyan played as a rookie.

On the board at No. 142 were Ole Miss guard/tackle Royce Newman, Western Michigan offensive tackle Jaylon Moore and Nebraska offensive tackle Brenden Jaimes.

The Packers also needed defensive line help. In a thin class, Iowa’s Daviyon Nixon and Texas’ Ta’Quon Graham were available. Nixon was particularly intriguing. He went to high school in Kenosha, Wis., and was the Big Ten’s defensive player of the year and a consensus first-team All-American following a senior season that included five sacks.

Packers Select Royce Newman in Fourth Round

Gutekunst continued his focus on the offensive line by grabbing Newman. A former high school tight end and basketball standout in Nashville, Ill., Newman was a two-year starter in the powerful SEC. At right tackle in 2020, Newman allowed two sacks and 25 total pressures, a pressure rate of 5.8 percent, according to Sports Info Solutions. At left guard in 2019, he allowed one sack and 10 total pressures, a pressure rate of only 2.4 percent. Similarly, runs behind his gap averaged 1.5 yards in 2020 but 2.4 yards in 2019.

At the Time, I Would Have Picked …

Nixon.

The Verdict

The question among scouts was whether Newman was a jack of all trades or a master of none.

“I think he sucks,” one scouting director said. On the other hand, said one area scout: “He could be a four-position backup at the very least if not a starter.”

Newman did not suck. It took him a while, though. The more he played, the better his recognition became and the more consistent his performance. According to Pro Football Focus, 63 guards played at least half the offensive snaps. Newman finished 39th in its pass-blocking efficiency with six sacks and 32 total pressures. However, he allowed only one sack during the final eight games. It appears Gutekunst nailed this pick.

“He has great athleticism, he has all the physical tools that we’re looking for,” offensive line coach Adam Stenavich said in December. “It’s just a matter of him understanding his body and putting himself in the best position to be successful. I think this last game vs. the Bears was his most complete game from that aspect of playing with a good base, playing with good hands, moving, coming off the ball, just all the things that we’re looking for in a guard.”

Newman started 16 games but out of the lineup for the playoff game. From Newman’s spot at No. 142 through the final pick at No. 259, only six players started 10-plus games. Only guard Trey Smith, a sixth-round pick by the Chiefs because of major health concerns, started more games than Newman.

Nixon, by the way, went at No. 158 to Carolina. He had a half-sack in his debut but that was his only splash play. He played 82 snaps in seven games before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Packers 2021 Draft Rewind

It's always fun looking back on the NFL Draft and seeing who was picked, thinking about who you would have picked, and how it all turned out. So, in Part 1 of a 2021 #Packers redraft, it's first-round pick Eric Stokes.https://t.co/8psp7XI61X

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) February 7, 2022

I'm doing a #Packers "redraft" series of stories. Part 1 came out earlier today on Eric Stokes, who was tremendous.

Here is Part 2 of the series. Second-round pick Josh Myers is the impetus behind the series.https://t.co/XW6doSggmn

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) February 8, 2022

What would have happened had the #Packers not traded up in the third round to select receiver Amari Rodgers?

Well, that leads to an interesting alternate reality.https://t.co/2xLFHHSKTY

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) February 9, 2022