Josh Newton, CB, TCU
Size:
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 190 pounds
Arm Length: 31 1/8"
Hand Size: 9 1/4"
Accomplishments:
First Team All-Big 12 (2022)
“Josh Newton uses his short-area quickness and instincts to make impactful plays in the secondary.”
Strengths:
High IQ
Short-area explosiveness
Competitive
Alignment versatile
Concerns:
Vertical contested catch situations
Down the field speed
Film Analysis:
Josh Newton is a scheme-versatile (man or zone) and alignment-versatile (outside or nickel) secondary player who has had consistent ball production throughout his collegiate career. Newton excels by using his IQ and instincts combined with his explosiveness to make plays on the field.
Newton showcases best when he is playing off coverage and he can read the receiver and quarterback. Newton does a good job of tempoing his backpedal and has an explosive plant-and-drive to close on the football to the receiver and make a disruptive play. Newton appears to have the ability to bait quarterbacks into throws and make the interception. Newton also excels in zone defense passing off route combinations, understanding route combinations, and, at times, leaving his zone to jump underneath routes to make the interception.
In press-man coverage, Newton has good lateral foot quickness to mirror and match receivers in their releases. Newton can either play physical and jam receivers or he can use the mirror technique and simply get into their hip pocket once they are in their release, taking away any underneath or in-breaking routes.
The two concerns of Newton's game are his speed to run with receivers in the deeper portions of the field and his ability to challenge receivers vertically in contested-catch situations. Regarding his speed, it appears that fast receivers can begin to separate from Newton at around the 30-yard mark—if left one-on-one, that can be an explosive play opportunity for offenses. In regard to challenging receivers at the catch point, Newton appears to struggle with taller receivers.
Overall, Newton is a versatile secondary player who appears to have an ideal skill set to be a starting nickel in the NFL while also playing valuable snaps on the outside if need be.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Adequate Starter
Written By: Keith Sanchez
Exposures: Houston (2023), Iowa State (2023), Oklahoma (2023), Texas (2023)
