Jer’Zhan Newton
Position: DT — Projected: 1st Round
History & Measurables
Born: Aug. 31, 2002 – St. Petersburg, FL
High School: Clearwater Central Catholic
College: Illinois University
Height – 6’1″ Weight – 304 lbs
Traits & Characteristics
The Good
- Athletic
- Creative attacker – variety of ways to win
- Strength
The Bad
- Over aggressive
- Questionable effort at times
Advanced Analytics Notes
2023 Pass Rush Stats: Min 100 Snaps
- Pass Rush Grade: 84.0 (15th among DTs)
- Pass Rush Win Rate: 15.4% (T-8th among DTs)
- Sacks: 8 (T-2nd among DTs)
- Hurries: 28 (8th among DTs)
- QB Hits: 7 (T-7th among DTs)
- 2023 Run Defense Stats: Min 100 Snaps
- Run Defense Grade 77.2 (64th among DTs)
- Run Stops: 25 (T-8th among DTs)
Film Notes and Highlights
Jer’Zhan Newton was a force on Illinois’ defense. He was constantly moved throughout the interior defensive line and excelled. He’s strong with extremely quick hands, highlighted by a patented swim move to blow past unsuspecting linemen. Newton looks to inflict pain on ball carriers and it appears he’s improving his motor with each game.
While Newton is an elite playmaker, he does have some issues diagnosing plays in front of him. He can be far too aggressive – allowing himself to be out of position against screens and may over pursue if given a clean path to the ball carrier. While he has the ability to shed blocks in the run game, he does have a propensity for being stuck on his block at times. He also seems to struggle against double teams. However, with proper coaching he could become an elite DL at the NFL level and is still one of the best DT prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft. – Thomas Christopher
(Games Watched: vs Michigan 2022, vs Wisconsin 2023, vs Penn State 2023, vs Toledo 2023)
Player Comparison
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Hunter Greene
Hunter started writing for The League Winners in the summer of 2021. Hunter has been playing fantasy football for about a decade, starting in middle school. Now he’s a professional landscaper and avid Colts and Purdue fan.