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Check out the newest mock draft from The Huddle!
Harley Schultz’s first mock draft of 2024 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling several more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2024 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
*projected trade
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Here’s our latest mock draft release as the real deal draws near.
Cletis Cutts’ first mock draft of 2024 is now out. Sound off on social media and let us know what you think.
We’ll be unveiling several more mock drafts leading up to the real thing, so be sure to check back with our 2024 NFL Draft Central page to keep track of all of our offerings.
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He comes from the same tenacious defense that spawned Seattle’s first selection in last year’s draft, gremlin slot corner Devon Witherspoon – who should have won Defensive Rookie of the Year.
One of the most popular prospects in the 2024 NFL draft class that’s been frequently connected to the Seahawks and their No. 16 overall pick is Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton. He comes from the same tenacious Fighting Illini defense that spawned Seattle’s first selection in last year’s draft, gremlin slot corner Devon Witherspoon – who should have won Defensive Rookie of the Year.
In any case, Newton says that he’d love reuiniting with Witherspoon and playing together on the Seahawks. It sounds like Spoon wouldn’t mind it, either. Replying to a thread between former Seahawks scout Jim Nagy and ESPN analyst Mina Kimes, Spoon gave a short scouting report on Newton.
Wins with agility in that clip. As someone who played with him, he wins with more than just brute upper body power. Wins with feet, hands, and instincts. Don’t forget he did play RB in high school! https://t.co/YtJ9Cg0S0s
— Devon Witherspoon (@DevonWitherspo1) March 17, 2024
The clip Spoon is referring to is below, where Newton breezes past the right tackle and chases down Minnesota QB Athan Kaliakmanis for a sack.
One of my favorite things about Johnny Newton: There were a few games last year that he simply took over.
Lined up over the RT here–check out the hands + closing speed. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/OMTxtX9PVu
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) March 17, 2024
Here’s a longer video with more highlights from Newton’s time at Illinois.
We certainly wouldn’t hate seeing Newton get drafted by Seattle. However, after re-signing Leonard Williams to a significant new contract, the chances of the Seahawks spending a first-round pick on an interior defensive lineman probably dwindled significantly. While we certainly can’t rule it out, we are expecting the team to address other positions first.
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In this post-combine mock draft, the New Orleans Saints picked a new tag-team partner for Bryan Bresee in Illinois DT Johnny Newton:
How did the NFL Scouting Combine shake up everyone’s plans for the 2024 draft? In this post-combine mock draft from Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, the New Orleans Saints picked a new tag-team partner for Bryan Bresee in Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton at No. 14 overall.
Newton, who went by Jer’Zhan in college, didn’t participate in athletic testing at the combine while recovering from Jones fracture surgery in his foot — he’s expected to work out at his pro day in April — but he did meet with teams and by all accounts left a good impression.
And he checked every box at weigh-ins, which matters for a team that sticks to its athletic prototypes like the Saints. Newton weighed in 6-foot-1 5/8 and 304 pounds, with 32 3/8-inch arms and 9 1/2-inch hands. For comparison, at last year’s combine Bresee weighed in at 6-foot-5 and 298 pounds with 32 1/2-inch arms and 10 1/4-inch hands (though the Saints listed his weight at 305 pounds during the season). Netwon is shorter than Bresee with a slightly lighter frame (75-inch wingspan versus Bresee’s 78) but he passes the thresholds the Saints have maintained since Jeff Ireland took over their scouting department.
More than any of that, Newton is an outstanding football player. He appeared in 47 games at Illinois and finished his career with 27.5 tackles for loss and 18 tackles for loss, batting down 5 passes at the line of scrimmage while forcing 3 fumbles (recovering 2 of them). Pro Football Focus charting found he generated 43 quarterback pressures in 2023 after posting 59 of them in 2022. He’s highly disruptive and gets into the backfield in a hurry.
So he could be a good addition in New Orleans. Newton anchors better with his lower body than Bresee did coming out of college, so he could play more heavily on running downs while they both get on the field in obvious passing situations. If Malcolm Roach leaves in free agency there should be plenty of snaps to go around for the two of them, plus veteran defensive tackles Nathan Shepherd and Khalen Saunders.
The complicating factor: Newton has played the same three-technique alignment that Bresee fills in New Orleans, so he’d be trying new things and moving around the formation more often than he did in college. The Saints do need to look for another upgrade on the interior line after allowed the 11th-most rushing yards per carry and per game last season, but they might be looking for a different type of player than Newton, given his many similarities to Bresee. But if he’s the best available prospect when they’re on the clock in April, the coaching staff can figure out a way for everyone to coexist.
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Don’t let his size get in the way of the evaluation — Illinois DL Johnny (Jer’Zhan) Newton is a first-round talent with monstrous upside.
The 2024 scouting combine is right around the corner, which means that it’s time to take a more critical and detailed look at this year’s draft prospects. With that in mind, we here at Touchdown Wire are doing as many thumbnail scouting reports as possible before the combine gets going on February 29. We will of course be doing more comprehensive reports before the draft, but here’s a good starting point.
Next man up here is Illinois defensive lineman Johnny (Jer’Zhan) Newton, who now goes by a new first name, but the game is the same, and it’s pretty ridiculous. In 2023, his fourth year on the field with the Fighting Illini, Newton totaled eight sacks, seven quarterback hits, 28 quarterback hurries, 32 stops, and 33 solo tackles, At 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds (unofficial), Newton can disrupt just fine inside, but he also saw 25% of his snaps last season either over or outside the tackles, and he brings an interesting set of techniques to foil blockers on the edge.
Newton should be seen as among the best interior defensive linemen in this draft class, though he can do much more. He will not work out at the combine due to a Jones fracture in his foot — which he played through the second half of his junior season… which makes his 2023 tape all the more impressive.
PLUSES
— Capable of pressure from every gap; spends most of his time at 3-tech, but he’s a disruptor all over the place.
— Gets skinny through gaps like a running back would; gets it done with more than just pass-rush moves.
— Violent with his hands to push through blocks with ridiculous speed — Hits the edge with burst around the turn; can beat tackles with edge techniques.
— Can run multiple gaps at the snap and has good vision to penetrate.
MINUSES
— Size deficits (6-foot-2, 295) show up when he’s doubled and can’t break free.
— Slides will have him lost in the wash and trying to recover at times.
— Needs to be less upright off the snap more often; that’s where he loses leverage.
I’ve always had a bias for smaller defensive tackles who can move around. Newton could wind up being another one of those Geno Atkins-style agitators if he gets his leverage together and devises strategies to beat double teams. Overall, about as fun a player to watch as I’ve seen in this draft class.
Johnny (Jer'Zhan) Newton, DL, Illinois
PLUSES
— Capable of pressure from every gap; spends most of his time at 3-tech, but he's a disruptor all over the place
— Gets skinny through gaps like a running back would; gets it done with more than just pass-rush moves
— Violent… pic.twitter.com/MjVIqxDdI6— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 24, 2024
Top 2024 DL prospect Johnny Newton will miss the NFL Scouting Combine after having surgery on his foot
One of the top defensive line prospects in the 2024 NFL draft won’t be participating in the upcoming NFL Scouting Combine. Illinois DT Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton has an injured foot that will prevent him from being able to work out in Indianapolis.
Newton, a likely first-round pick, had surgery to repair a Jones avulsion fracture in his foot, according to draft analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic. He had the surgery in January and won’t be recovered in time to work out at the combine. Brugler notes Newton should be able to have a pro day sometime later in the draft process.
What is a Jones fracture? It’s an injury to the base of the pinky toe. From UPMC:
A Jones fracture is a fracture of the bone on the pinky toe side of your foot, the fifth metatarsal bone.
This fracture can happen when you increase your training, increase pressure on your feet from gaining weight, or run on uneven surfaces. You can also fracture this bone during lateral (side-to-side) movements or while dancing en pointe, as in ballet.
A Jones fracture often happens near the end of the bone and usually disrupts blood flow. Because the bone gets less blood, your healing time goes up.
Sources: #Illinois DT Johnny Newton underwent surgery in January to repair a partial Jones fracture in his foot. Played the second half of the 2023 season with the injury.
The projected 1st rounder won't work out at the Combine, but should be cleared for an April pro day.
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) February 22, 2024
There are quarterbacks, receivers and hog mollies aplenty in our opening first-round mock draft.
Well, let’s take our first shot at this, shall we?
Here are our first set of projections for the first round of the 2024 NFL draft:
Is Jer’Zhan Newton just the player the Jaguars need to shore up their defensive line?
While the Jacksonville Jaguars’ defense had its moments early in the 2023 season, the team is still headed into the offseason with plenty of holes on that side of the ball.
Addressing the secondary has been a popular choice for mock draft creators, but additions to the interior defensive line feel equally as urgent.
Despite getting 27.5 sacks from the combination of Josh Allen and Travon Walker, the Jaguars still finished near the bottom of the league in the stat because very little pressure was generated from the interior.
If Jacksonville decides to beef up its defensive trenches, there may not be a better man for the job than Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton. The senior could’ve been an early pick in last year’s draft, but he went back to college for one more try at working his way into the first round. He accomplished his goal.
Should the Jaguars select him with the No. 17 overall pick? Let’s break it down:
Here are some alternative first-round picks for the Steelers in the 2024 NFL draft.
At this point, if you make your way around the internet you will see every 2024 mock draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers headlined by either an offensive lineman, cornerback or quarterback.
All three make sense on different levels and if I were a betting man, I’d take those three spots against the field all day to be the pick.
But let’s think a little outside the box. Here are five guys the Steelers could select in the first round outside of those three positional units.
Tyler Forness takes a look at what a draft would look like only taking positions of need
The Minnesota Vikings have a lot of different ways they can go in the NFL draft. There will be some discussion on what needs are most important but the Vikings can address most of them through both free agency and the NFL draft.
Each week throughout the leadup to the NFL draft, I will be doing different seven round mock drafts for the Vikings as a way to explore different scenarios. You never know who might fall to you and how that could cause a ripple effect and being ready for those situations is paramount come draft weekend.
In the second rendition of our seven round mock draft series, what could a draft look like that has the Vikings took players only at position of need?
