Cowboys 2021 draft prospects: Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II scouting report

With the Dallas Cowboys and the 2021 NFL draft, cornerback has been the hot position. When it comes to corners, Patrick Surtain II and Jaycee Horn are the hot names. But the are other quality corners in the draft, and should the Cowboys not get one at pick 10, they could go for one later in the first round if they initially trade back, or if they pass on corner at 10 then trade up from pick 44. One player that could fit the bill is Greg Newsome II.

Name: Greg Newsome II

School: Northwestern

Height: 6-0

Weight: 192

Class: Junior

Position: DB

Jersey: #2

Strengths:

Very comfortable and confident boundary corner in both man and zone schemes. Clean and crisp in and out of his pedal, and transitions are some of the smoothest in this class. Read and react skills show up on tape constantly and he plays with some impressive explosiveness when coming downhill. For a smaller-build corner, he excels in jump ball situations. While his career interceptions are very low, he showed some impressive ball skills to play the football in the air. Has confidence at the catch point and rarely panics when playing the football. Plays with impressive functional athleticism in zone coverage and trust his keys and instincts.

Weaknesses:

Smaller-framed corner that will need to put on some muscle to hang with more physical receivers in the NFL, and keep himself healthy (something he struggled to do in at Northwestern). Entering the league with only one career interception and some questions regarding his durability could have him fall a little further than his tape and athletic traits would suggest. Lacks the ideal arm length as a boundary corner, which could lead to struggles in zone drops and getting his hands on the football when in man coverage.

Overall Summary:

All in all, Greg Newsome could be the third to sixth corner drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft. Newsome plays the boundary position with impressive length, functional athleticism, and has lock-down ability as a man and zone cover corner. He enters the NFL with a lack of interceptions, but he competes for the football in 50/50 situations at the catch point. He showed great willingness against the run, and has no issues throwing his body around, which is one of the main concerns with him coming into the league - his durability. Newsome had missed almost as many games in college due to injury, that he’s played in. If he can stand to add a few pounds to his frame while maintaining his impressive athleticism at the position, he has the chance to make an immediate impact in the National Football League.

Round Grade:

1-2

Tape Highlights: