HEIGHT: 6'2"

WEIGHT: 304

HAND: 9½"

ARM: 32⅜"

WINGSPAN: 75⅞"

40-YARD DASH: N/A

3-CONE: N/A

SHUTTLE: N/A

VERTICAL: N/A

BROAD: N/A

POSITIVES

— Active and quick hands as a pass-rusher; works the offensive lineman's hands well to win off the edge. Solid bend for defensive tackle, too.

— Impressive push-pull move to beat guards as a rusher.

— Good pass-rush motor to get coverage sacks.

— Strong and physical at the point of attack and has the upper-body strength to gain control of the block.

— Has natural leverage and is hard to move one-on-one in the running game with his strength.

— Violent when getting off blocks and has shown the agility to cross the offensive lineman's face and make tackles in the gap adjacent to his.

NEGATIVES

— Undersized for an NFL defensive tackle and might have shorter arms.

— Size can cause him issues versus double-teams.

— Get-off is a little slow, and doesn't accelerate off the ball consistently. Hurts the effectiveness of his bull rush.

— Narrows his base when rushing the passer, so guards with good upper-body strength will be able to ride him past the quarterback.

2023 STATISTICS

— 12 G, 52 TOT, 8.5 TFL, 7.5 SK, 2 PD, 1 FR, 1 FF

NOTES

— Born Aug. 31, 2002

— 3-star recruit in 2020 class, per 247Sports

— No major injuries

OVERALL

Jer'Zhan Newton is just a disruptive player overall. He's strong and stout at the point of attack against the run to stun offensive linemen and stay in his gap. He also has little to no issues getting off blocks and can make plays outside of his gap with his impressive blend of strength and athleticism.

As a pass-rusher, Newton has very active hands to "beat the hands, beat the man" and add to his pass-rush repertoire. He has a handful of moves he can win with around the edges and has impressive bend for a defensive tackle. He's also flashed some athleticism/agility to be an effective looper in line games and continues to grow as a rusher.

The Illinois product does lack ideal size for an NFL defensive tackle, and it bears watching how he measures in at the combine, as he appears to have shorter arms. His smaller stature does limit his bull rush and ability to hold ground against double-teams, as well as limiting how much extension he can get.

Ultimately, Newton brings a lot to the table as a pass-rusher and run defender to be worthy of a first-round pick. He'd be best as a 3-technique in even fronts but could play as a defensive end (4i- to 5-technique) in odd fronts.

GRADE: 8.0 (Year 1 Starter — Late 1st/Early 2nd Round)

OVERALL RANK: 20

POSITION RANK: DL2

PRO COMPARISON: Sheldon Richardson

Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder

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