Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois (Junior)
Rayane M
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Strengths :
- Good separation ability
- Very willing player
- Capable of adapting to all defensive systems
- Generally good reading ability
- Decent technical repertoire
- Capable of explosiveness on his Takeoff when he chooses to
- Excellent Gap control
- Can be very dangerous in 1v1 situations
Weaknesses :
- Takeoff is not consistently explosive enough
- Size
- Average hand placement
- Plays too high
- Still Raw
- Tends to play out of control
- Cardio
- Tackling technique needs improvement
- Average athletic abilities
IDL Jer'Zhan Newton
— Rayane M (@RayaneScout) January 3, 2024
While NFL defensive coordinators have been searching for undersized DTs for several seasons now, in order to have an explosive presence capable of being a real threat on the inside against these ever more aerial attacks, Jer'Zhan perfectly pic.twitter.com/LjHDOIk2XB
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To stay on his Pass rushIn addition to his unremarkable technical repertoire, Jer’Zhan often takes too long to initiate these techniques to separate from the block and then proceed to pursue. Once again, it's a pity, especially considering his Bend which is really average doesn't allow him to be a lethal threat on the edges when he finds himself in a situation where he needs to rush starting from the edge. Newton will need to work more directly on his matchups, but for now, he doesn't seem to have true Power moves Decisive in his arsenal.
Once in the pros, Jer’Zhan will also need to be careful to stay under control during his pursuits. It's not uncommon to see him arrive too quickly but without agility simply because he's not under control. Because of this, it only takes a small move from the ball carrier to put him off balance. He even missed a sack/safety against Kansas this season because of this. Moreover, since we're talking about a missed opportunity to make a big play, Jer’Zhan also seems to have short arms, at least that's the impression he gives (and which will be confirmed by official measurements). It's not uncommon to see him miss tackles in the Tackle box because of this, but also sacks, for example, against Penn State this season.
As if his short arms weren't enough of a disadvantage, Jer’Zhan has developed the bad habit of sometimes seeking the big hit rather than the tackle, trying to tackle with the shoulder, and personally, I don't like that. Ensuring the tackle will always take precedence over a highlight-reel action for me.
I also noted that since Jer’Zhan plays at full throttle all the time, he tended to tire quickly during games. For optimal use, he will either need to rotate frequently or really work on his cardio once in the NFL, and this is especially true now since he seems to have gained a bit more weight.
Another point that might not sit well with some is that Newton warms up like a diesel engine. When he plays, he tends to perform better and better as the game progresses, but he starts his matches quietly. It's rare to see him make incredible plays at the beginning of a game. However, once he gets going, he performs very well.
Ultimately, do I believe that Jer’Zhan Newton deserves a first-round pick as I've seen everywhere for months? I don't necessarily think we should rush to pick him, as he still represents a player who is raw in several areas of his game. However, I believe that thanks to these clear areas for improvement, Jer’Zhan still has a high ceiling ahead of him. Personally, I see him more as a second-round pick. But as I often write or say during our broadcasts, if I assign a second-round value to a player, it doesn't necessarily mean he isn't worth a first-round pick. Some coaches or franchises may fall in love with a player and decide to draft him higher than his perceived value because they believe he will meet their expectations. I have no issue with that as long as it's fully embraced by the franchise. For example, the Lions last year reached for both Gibbs and Campbell, but they fully embraced it because those were the players they wanted from the start.
So, if your franchise decides to draft Jer’Zhan Newton in the first round, there's no need to flip over the coffee table. Even though I personally see him a bit lower in terms of value due to the points you've read in the weaknesses section, it doesn't make him a bad player at all, quite the opposite.
2nd round value for me on Jer'Zhan Newton.
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However, am I, like many others, overly excited about Jer’Zhan to the point of catapulting him into the first round without any questions? Not entirely.
One aspect that personally pleases me when I see Jer’Zhan play is his very active and extremely willing demeanor. He never seems to give up, even when trailing by 30 points; he gives his all in every rep. This kind of attitude cannot be coached, and it's what I look for in my defensive tackles or simply in any of my players.
Thanks to the Illinois system, Jer’Zhan has indeed developed a commendable ability to defend the run, but also in terms of reading plays. While he could still improve in this area, his reading is generally sound. However, I believe he could react more quickly in his decision making In any case, thanks to the points mentioned earlier, I believe Newton can already thrive in a 2-Gap system in the NFL, which would be a perfect fit for his size.
It's all these points that make me think he would potentially be able to transition, if needed, to play Tech-3 on a 4-3 front and in a system 1-Gap
As for his ability to put pressure on the opposing quarterback, Newton has a rather good technical repertoire that could still be refined. While he has a nice Club-Rip move, which clearly represents the number one weapon in his technical repertoire, it's a move that unfortunately remains too situational to be a true primary weapon. Jer’Zhan will therefore need to continue to enrich his still average repertoire, especially since most of the moves he uses are not yet executed perfectly because he tends not to fully commit to the execution of his move, thus not fully benefiting from what the move could bring him.
Lastly, another point that I like about Jer’Zhan is that he's clearly not the kind of player who will hesitate to take a risk and improvise if an opportunity presents itself to make a big play. He's one of those players who will take the risk of making a big play by not necessarily following the given orders and getting chewed out by their coaches if it doesn't succeed. Once again, I know that for some, this specific point could be problematic, but for me, it's characteristic of great players to sometimes take the risk of deviating from the script if they have the opportunity and make a play that could change the course of the game.
Starting with his Takeoff which, in my opinion, is not explosive enough for Jer’Zhan's size. At "only" 6'2" and 295 lbs, he is both "small" and "light" for a defensive tackle. At this weight, one might expect a much greater explosiveness in terms of his Takeoff, especially considering that with this small stature, he's likely to be limited for the moment to a role as a 3-4 defensive end (typically placed in the Strong Side) Interestingly, though (and something I added to the Scouting Report after it was already completed), Jer’Zhan was recently weighed, and we saw his weight increase from 295 lbs to 304 lbs, a gain of almost 10 pounds which could be very beneficial for his future in the NFL if it doesn't too much impact his physical abilities, which we will discuss next.
The answer will come once he's in the pros to determine if the system was responsible for this lack of explosiveness or not. However, for the time being, Newton still absorbs too much of the initial impact on his first step when he finds himself in a situation that requires reading. It's absolutely essential that he learns to read while advancing on his opponent in order to maintain explosiveness and dominance over the opposing blocker.
Personally, I find him athletically quite below par compared to what other interior defensive linemen with similar physical profiles can produce, whether in college football or the NFL. I thought during the season that this could unfairly impact his draft stock, but for the moment, it doesn't seem to be the case, and that's a relief.