1st Round – Pick 26
CB Greg Newsome II – Northwestern
He was a two-year starter and appeared to use his length very well against wideouts. While he excelled in the zone scheme, he also showed he can play air tight man to man when needed as well. He showed amazing ability to adjust on the fly and re-route when he had to. Not much would trip him up and he didn’t shy away from physical play.
He has excellent anticipation which may lead to some pick sixes, but it could also lead to getting burned deep at times on a juke as well. He did miss a little bit of time in all three of his seasons with multiple issues. This included some groin issues that took him out of a large chunk of the Big Ten Championship Game as the Buckeyes pulled away in the second half.
He was the third DB off the board in the first round, but quite frankly I think his potential and career will blow away what a guy like Caleb Farley brings to the Titans. In fact, I feel Tennessee did the browns a huge favor by taking Farley and making Newsome the no brainer.
Grade A – Not the top DB, but a damn good pick that instantly makes the Browns defense better and fills a huge hole.