by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of TCU Athletics.
At Draft 412, the NFL draft talk never ends. We will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars—from today and all the way until draft night 2024. We will bring you mock drafts, player profiles, individual team needs, and everything else you may need related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - TCU, Cornerback, Josh Newton
Name- Josh Newton
Pos- Cornerback
Team- TCU
HT/WT- 6’0” 190 lbs.
Born- 9/14/2000
Home – Monroe, LA
Newton played at Ouachita High School in Monroe, LA, where he was all-district as a senior. He played in the Louisiana High School Coach Association’s East-West All-Star game. During high school, he played both defensive back and wide receiver and decided to stay home and play his college ball at Louisiana-Monroe.
After redshirting in 2018, Newton started all 12 games at corner after transitioning from playing wide receiver in the spring. He started all 12 games and ended with 20 tackles and 4 pass breakups. In 2020, he played in 10 games at cornerback and collected 16 tackles, 5 pass breakups and 1 interception. He started 9 games in 2021 at cornerback and rounded up 48 tackles, 8 pass breakups and 2 interceptions. Following the 2021 season, he entered the transfer portal and transferred to TCU.
During his first season at TCU, Newton became a prospect on most scouts' boards. He started all 15 games and finished with 35 tackles, 3 interceptions and 12 passes defended and was honored a First-Team All-Big 12 player.
Entering 2023, Newton was named a Draft 412 preseason second-team All-American player. So far this season, he has 8 tackles in 2 games for TCU.
Newton has a lengthy build and good, fluid speed. He has excellent instincts and has the hands to pull in any balls that come his way. He tracks passes well and instantly becomes a wide receiver when the ball is in the air. He has great body control and is able to contort or maneuver to make a play. Newton is physical off the snap of the ball and shows above average power for his size. He is able to engage with larger offensive linemen and hold his own in run coverage, and he can be a part of a press scheme in a team's secondary.
On the downside, Newton is better served playing zone at the next level and lacks the long speed needed for one-on-one matchups. He needs some work on his mechanics, especially his footwork. He has a tendency to get off-balance right off the snap against faster receivers. He’s not overly aggressive when a run comes his way, he tends to hesitate before making his way to the ball and takes bad angles at times in his pursuit.
Draft 412 sees a strong comparison Newton might be Chicago Bear Tyrique Stevenson, who was just drafted in the second round in this past year's draft. They both have a ton of talent and are sort of stuck between being a man-to-man corner or being a nickelback.
Strengths
Length
Playmaker
Instincts
Body Control
Weaknesses
Mechanics
Angles
Man-to-man
Balance
Final Analysis
Josh Newton is a bit of a late bloomer who has been rising up the draft boards the past couple of years. A good season out of him could solidify his second day draft status.
Draft 412 Draft Prediction - Round 2 or 3