Tag: Greg Newsome

Packers meet virtually with Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II

The Packers had a virtual pre-draft meeting with Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II, a potential first-round pick in the 2021 draft.

The Green Bay Packers met with one of the best cornerback prospects in the 2021 NFL draft.

According to Justin Melo of The Draft Network, the Packers met virtually with Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II, a first-team All-Big Ten pick in 2020.

Newsome finished his collegiate career with 25 pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery over 21 games.

The Packers will almost certainly be among the teams looking for a cornerback in the 2021 draft. Newsome, who stands 6-1, looks like a future starter on the perimeter at the next level, making him a potential first-round pick.

From his profile on The Draft Network: “Greg Newsome II is an exciting cornerback prospect who will offer an NFL franchise plenty of appeal as a potential starter on the perimeter. Newsome II has showcased strong ball skills and length to pair with high-end levels of flexibility and functional athleticism—that’s a blend that is going to get Newsome II drafted sooner rather than later.”

The Packers hold the 29th overall pick in the first round. Newsome, or any other highly-regarded cornerback, could be an option. Kevin King is an unrestricted free agent and could depart next month. Chandon Sullivan is a restricted free agent, and 2018 second-round pick Josh Jackson hasn’t been a contributor the last two seasons.

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Pro Football Focus mock draft has Texans taking North Dakota State QB Trey Lance

The Houston Texans are getting a new quarterback in the latest Pro Football Focus mock draft. The Texans take North Dakota State QB Trey Lance.

The Deshaun Watson trade rumors aren’t going away, and are a key factor in most prognosticators’ mock drafts.

According to Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus, the Houston Texans will trade Watson to the Denver Broncos in his scenario. Houston collects the Broncos’ No. 9 overall pick, their 2021 second-round, a 2022 first-round, a 2022 second-rounder, and a 2023 first-round. The Texans basically have double first-rounders for two years starting in 2022.

What do the Texans do with their draft haul from Denver? With their first pick, they address the gaping void at quarterback by selecting Trey Lance from North Dakota State.

As for Houston, they’d be focusing on a full rebuild, and it all starts at the quarterback position. Lance is a high-risk but high-reward prospect to commence that rebuild with. Put simply, Lance’s physical tools are bananas. He’s got a rocket for an arm and has elite athleticism that adds a lot of value to the ground game. But at the same time, he is glaringly inaccurate.

Lance played in just one game this year, as COVID-19 caused the FCS to postpone its season. In that showcase game, we saw exactly the same traits from 2019: incredible mobility but glaring inaccuracy. He carried the ball 15 times (13 designed, two scrambles) and put up six explosive runs of 10-plus yards, forcing nine broken tackles along the way. However, just 28.6% of Lance’s passes were deemed accurate in the outing.

The Texans also end up with the Broncos’ 40th overall pick and take Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome.

One of the problems in taking Lance is he hasn’t seen much playing time in the last year, which means he could either learn on the fly at the expense of the Texans’ won-loss column, or he sits behind a veteran, also at the expense of the Texans’ won-loss column. Either way, Houston would go from a franchise quarterback to the new Maurice Clarett.

Cardinals add OL, CB, DL in new 3-round mock draft

They take Virginia Tech tackle Christian Darrisaw with their first-round selection.

In what direction will the Arizona Cardinals go when they are on the clock with the 16th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft? They could go with an offensive lineman. They could target a cornerback or even a running back, based on where prospects are projected to be valued.

Draft Wire managing editor Luke Easterling released a new mock draft that covers three rounds. In these projections, the Cardinals go with a lineman to start and then use their next two picks to bolster the defense.


Browns full 7-round mock draft v1.0

The first edition of the Browns Wire 2021 Cleveland Browns mock draft is here

Enough of breaking down other mock drafts. It’s time to do our own!

The first edition of the 2021 Cleveland Browns mock draft is here. We’re going over every Browns pick in the draft, from the first-rounder at No. 26 overall to the final one near the end of the seventh round.

To help judge player availability at the spots, I used the mock draft simulator from The Draft Network to run five separate scenarios. If the player was available less than three times, they were eliminated from consideration.

Because we haven’t yet hit free agency, the Browns needs reflected here are the current ones. They could certainly fill some of the holes with veteran free agent signings, too.

Colts select CB Greg Newsome in Daniel Jeremiah mock draft 2.0

Indy goes CB in Jeremiah’s latest mock.

We are still months away from the 2021 NFL draft but until then, mock drafts will be all the rage as the Indianapolis Colts look to continue building young talent on the roster.

In his second mock draft of the offseason, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com has the Colts adding to the defense and selecting Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II with the No. 21 overall pick.

Free agency could create a void at the position for Indy, and eams are very high on Newsome, a height-weight-speed corner.

Adding to the secondary is certainly a necessity this offseason. They could opt to go the veteran route in free agency by looking at several stop-gap options.

In this mock, four quarterbacks went within the top-eight selections while Mac Jones was still on the board at No. 21—he eventually went to the Saints seven picks later.

Newsome is likely a fit for the zone scheme the Colts have in Indy. He excelled in that area with Northwestern, allowing a 31.7 passer rating on 34 targets in 2020, per Pro Football Focus.

As it stands, the Colts have Kenny Moore, Rock Ya-Sin, Marvell Tell and Isaiah Rodgers making up the cornerback room. Both Xavier Rhodes and T.J. Carrie are set to be free agents in March unless re-signed before then.

Free agency will have a lot of say in what the Colts will do during the draft, but Jeremiah currently has Indy addressing a big need in the first round.

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6 Chargers defensive free agent, draft ‘crushes’

With Valentine’s Day here, Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez shares his 2021 NFL draft and free agent crushes for Los Angeles.

‘Tis the season for finding or celebrating your perfect match, and the Chargers will be searching for their own when the 2021 offseason begins.

With the hopes of making a run next season, Los Angeles should push really hard to land six of these defensive players to bolster an already stacked unit.

Let’s take a look at which players the Bolts should love:

S John Johnson, Rams

After suffering an injury in 2019 that limited him to just six games, Johnson bounced back this past season, being the only player to play every defensive snap for Los Angeles. Johnson logged 105 combined tackles and an interception. In addition, he only allowed a 4.9 yards per target. Versatility is everything and Johnson is a smart, adept in pass coverage and run defense, who’s capable of playing both safety positions, cornerback and linebacker. Having a hard-working, competitive and proven player, especially one who’s already familiar with coach Brandon Staley’s system, could go a long way.

OLB Leonard Floyd, Rams

A former No. 9 overall pick of the Bears, Floyd was close to being labeled as a “bust” but Staley was the one who rejuvenated his career. Floyd is coming off his best year as a pro after totaling career-highs in sacks (12.5), tackles (55) and quarterback hits (19). He had a career-best 52 total pressures. Floyd also had 31 defensive stops and has been a consistently solid run defender over his career. With Melvin Ingram slated to be a free agent, he would give the Chargers a much-needed presence opposite of Uchenna Nwosu.

DT Shelby Harris, Broncos

The game of football is won and lost in the trenches. For the Chargers, they could afford to add more talent on the interior part of the defensive line. Arguably one of the more underrated defensive tackles, Harris has been a force up front, having posted 16.5 sacks, 28 tackles for loss and 35 quarterback hits in his career. The soon-to-be 30-year old would be a great  addition in the trenches and the familiarity between him and Staley, having been on the same team in 2019, might attract.

OLB Quincy Roche, Miami

Roche eclipsed 11 quarterback pressures in three games in 2020 for the Hurricanes. The year before that, he amassed 68 quarterback pressures and 13 sacks for Temple in 2019. Roche took his talents to Mobile, AL for the Senior Bowl, where he stood out against some of the nation’s top tackles. Roche is a slippery rusher with the initial burst, functional strength, hand usage and length to threaten the pocket on a regular basis and defend the run. To me, he reminds me a little bit of Buccaneers’ Shaquil Barrett. A combination of Roche and Nwosu would be a nice outside linebacker duo.

CB Greg Newsome II, Northwestern

Even if the Chargers elect to keep Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr., the team needs more talent in the cornerback room. Newsome was a key piece in a Northwestern defense that finished No. 1 nationally in team pass efficiency defense and No. 5 in scoring defense (15.5 points per game). He totaled 71 tackles, 20 pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery in three seasons for the Wildcats. The 6-foot-1 and 190-pound corner has fluid hips to stay with receivers, good eye discipline and physicality against the run.

DT Marlon Tuipulotu, USC

Addressing the interior part of the defensive line could be a lot earlier than many are expecting, given the fact that Staley is a firm believer that the game is won up front. A guy like Tuipulotu could do wonders. Tuipulotu was a three-year starter for the Trojans who totaled 104 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and three passes defended. He is a guy who wins with his quickness, power and explosion, has good range and is stout against the run.