Welcome to the Commanders Jer'Zhan Newton DT Illinois

[Warhead36]

He's a beast. Ionidis 2.0 but even more athletic.

[Chump Bailey]

I love this pick. Definite BPA at the time and could be a steal for us. 

[Est.1974]

7 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

He's a beast. Ionidis 2.0 but even more athletic.

I think that is selling him short.

[PeterMP]

7 hours ago, Panninho said:

 

I think it's who we had to pick. He was a first round talent that slipped to the second round. Some thought he was the best DT in the class, PFF had him as the 11th overall player. Yeah, we got two great DTs but if such a guy is available in round 2 and there is no reasons for that (injury, character) - take him. Reaching on a position of need is the Rivera trademark move in such a situation. Or even reaching on a player where you have no need (Mathis) for that matter.

I think these picks is how you build a great roster over time. For me, it'S the most exciting pick in the draft so far because it shows that Peters is all about getting great players regardless of need. This is a pick successful franchises like the Eagles or Ravens would have also made and everyone would be like "how the **** did that happen again?".

 

 

I think guys often fall for a reason.  Taking the Eagles as an example, last year everybody was like, oh they got Smith at 30th.  Their so lucky.

 

But then he didn't really do much last year.  

 

And if the guy is a great pick at that position, given where we are, the pick should have value to somebody else that allows you to trade it to get something of good value and something more in line with what we need.  Especially to help a rookie QB.

 

Certainly, the guy looks like a good player, I understand the pick, but it is hard for me to say that's a great pick.

 

(I also think the Eagles do a good job of moving up and down the draft board to get to positions where their needs are value picks.  They have a history of trading up and down.  And that sometimes people just don't understand what the Eagles do and don't understand how they see their needs.)

[Veretax]

I share the concerns about allowing the trade for a guy people were talking about after Day 1, but I think we are overreacting.

Are we forgetting how abyssyammly historic this team was in all aspects of the game?

My only complaing is they only changed positions, didn't really get an additional pick out of the deal.

[FlyBigBeard]

If he is the player we think he can be Allen will be traded next off-season to stack picks. Like Peter's said Allen is not going anywhere this year ...but next year I could definitely see that happening. 

[Veretax]

And it could be nasty moving Allen and Newton between DT and DE.  Remember the years when Spags was in NYG? Maybe that interrior could be similar.

[88Comrade2000]

He will rotate with Allen and Payne and then replace one of them, when we decide not to resign them when their contract comes up.

[Est.1974]

Never really watched DL before the draft. Having watched this guy since, he’s an absolute beast. Another Daron Payne. What a pick. 

[Going Commando]

6 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

He's a beast. Ionidis 2.0 but even more athletic.

 

I like Zierlein's Javon Hargrave comp.  Explains why Peterson liked him.  I don't know if he'll be as good as Hargrave, whose pass rush production was insane in college, but he's in the same vein of player.

 

Being the B1G DPOY is no joke.  The conference had the best defenses in it by far this year.

[Always A Commander Never A Captain]

Standig is reporting we made calls about trading into the end of the 1st for Newton but didn't like the cost.

 

So we explored trading up to the Teens for an OT and late first for Newton. We must have had a really high grade on Newton then.

[PigskinPhat]

Allen seems to want out so this pick is prob timely. But the glaring need now is JD’s blindside. Hope they can get someone to plug that obvious massive hole!

Edited April 28 by PigskinPhat

[Bifflog]

Excerpt from Dan Brugler's The Beast Draft Guide:

2. JOHNNY NEWTON | Illinois 6015 | 304 lbs. | 4SR St. Petersburg, Fla. (Clearwater Central) 8/31/2002 (age 21.65) #4
BACKGROUND: Jer’Zhan (jer-ZAWN) “Johnny” Newton, the fourth of five boys, was born and raised in St. Petersburg. With three older brothers, he was intr oduced to
sports at a young age and started his football journey at the pee-wee level. Newton enrolled at Clearwater Central Catholic High School, where he was teammates
with his three older brothers as a freshman in 2016. Newton saw time on offense at running back, but he was primarily a defen sive lineman over his four seasons on
varsity. As a senior, he led the team to 10 wins and was named an All-American with 104 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 16.0 sacks and three forced fumbles. Newton
finished his prep career with 244 tackles, 45.0 tackles for loss, 24.0 sacks and five forced fumbles. He also lettered in bas ketball.
A three-star recruit, Newton was the No. 51 strongside defensive end in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 138 recruit in Florida. As a sophomore, he received his
first scholarship offer (Boston College), followed soon after by offers from Florida and West Virginia. Newton also considered Florida State, Georgia Tech and Miami
before verballing to Maryland. However, he flipped to Illinois and head coach Lovie Smith on signing day and was one of the t op-ranked recruits in the Illini class.
His daughter (Jovianne) was born Nov. 17, 2022. His twin older brothers (Jervon and Jerquan) played together at Division II West Florida (2018-21) before transferring
to Division II Mars Hill in 2022 for their final college season. His older brother (Jerjuan) led Toledo in receiving in 2023 and is enter ing his sixth and final season of
eligibility in 2024. His younger brother (Jershaun) recently finished his junior season as the quarterback at Clearwater Central and is a three-star recruit in the 2025
class (with several offers, including from Florida State, Illinois and Louisville). Newton declined his invitation to the 2024 Senior Bowl.
YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2020: (8/2) 23 1.5 1.5 1 0 0 Pandemic-shortened season; Enrolled in August 2020
2021: (12/11) 50 4.0 3.0 0 0 0
2022: (13/13) 62 14.0 5.5 0 3 0 Second Team All-American; First Team All-Big Ten; Led team in sacks and TFL
2023: (12/11) 52 8.5 7.5 1 2 0 First Team All-American; Big Ten Defensive POY; First Team All-Big Ten; Led team in sacks; Team captain
Total: (45/37) 187 28.0 17.5 2 5 0
HT WT HAND ARM WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 6015 304 9 1/2 32 3/8 75 7/8 - - - - - - - - (no workout — right foot)
PRO DAY - - - - - - - - - - - - - (no workout — right foot)
STRENGTHS: Explosive big man with pass-rush instincts … gets upfield quickly with fluidity to win rushing arcs … plays from a low position to leverage the contact
point … balance and power make it tough for blockers to slow him when he pierces gaps … agile-footed to work laterally and sidestep blocks … violent, quick hands to
swim or disengage … alertly sees through blocks and reads run well … flattens down the line and makes plays near the sideline … can’t leave him unblocked backside,
because he will chase it down every time with relentless hustle … can see his smarts in the way he works through pre-snap checklist (personnel, alignments, etc.),
then communicates with his teammates … football character and personal character reviews from his Illinois coaches were “very good,” according to an NFL area
scout … named a senior captain … backfield production stands out (22.5 tackles for loss over the last two seasons) … led the FBS with four blocked kicks in 2023 (two
blocked field goals, two blocked extra points) … rarely comes off the field and averaged 62.4 snaps per game in 2023 … didn’t miss a game over the last four seasons.
WEAKNESSES: Compactly built with below-average body width and arm length (one of only two defensive linemen at the combine with a sub-76-inch wingspan) …
will struggle to hold his anchor versus long-armed power … inconsistent snap movements, often jumping too late or too early … needs to cut down on the missed
tackles (see 2023 Kansas tape) … ejected vs. Wisconsin in 2023 for targeting (didn’t start the next game) … plays his tail off and will run out of gas at times … played
with a sore right foot over the second half of the 2023 season (didn’t miss a game); a partial Jones fracture (near his pinky toe) was discovered after the season and
he underwent surgery (January 2024), which sidelined him for most of the draft process.
SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Illinois, Newton played all over the defensive line but primarily over the B-gap in defensive coordinator Aaron Henry’s hybrid
fronts. He put together an impressive resume with back-to-back All-America seasons in 2022 and 2023, combining for 103 pressures (the most by any FBS interior
defensive lineman in that span). With his twitchy get-off and sense of urgency, Newton creates immediate vertical push and wins early, versus both pass and run,
often forcing quarterbacks to speed up their internal clock. Although he can be engulfed at times, especially in the run game , his use of leverage and violent shed
tactics help him remain a factor, including various snatch/pull techniques to use the weight of blockers against them (NFL scout: “You have to ignore the measurables
and focus on the football player, because he’s a good one.”). Overall, Newton’s undersized, compact frame will be a turn-off for some teams, but he is tough to
block one-on-one, because of his gap quickness, natural power and nose for the ball. He projects as a dependable starting three-technique in the NFL.
GRADE: 1st-2nd Round (No. 28 overall)

[FrFan]

Published: Apr 27, 2024 at 07:55 PM

Gregg Rosenthal

Around The NFL Podcast Co-Host

 

Washington Commanders

 

Jer'Zhan Newton was my favorite defensive player in the draft. Washington got him at No. 36 overall. Did he fall to the second round despite his top-15 talent because of a January surgery on his foot, which he says has fully healed? Either way, no defensive player more consistently won over the last two seasons.

[Est.1974]

When Peters called him up, he said to him, ‘you’re a bad dude’ 

[Skinsinparadise]

McGinn interviewing NFL scouts before the draft

 

 

[Warhead36]

We aren’t trading Allen. Why are people allergic to stacking talent?

[Going Commando]

Those high school stats are Derick Brown-esque.  Who were he and Jayden playing high school football against?  These guys?

 

[skinsfan66]

On 4/27/2024 at 3:45 AM, Koolblue13 said:

Dude, I called this draft. I called Alt to the Chargers, I called the trade down, I definitely called DL and CB in the second a hundred times. I switched my tune on QB last week because of a private discussion with Sip, which I hate, but am open to, but I nailed this draft and have been called an idiot for a lot of it. 

 

This year, when I had eye surgery and couldn't sit up for a week, I just watched tape. I know I trailed off. My top 100 was close to GCs though.

 

We've crushed this draft like crazy.

Dudes a first round IDL and as good as anyone and we're use to crap like Ridgeway. Mathis is done as well. Out of the league this year probably.

 

We just permanently cemented our best strength. That rotation is nasty. Right in the middle we're coming. I bet we have some happy linebackers after that pick 

You did call DL before the senior bowl 3/4 type end, I was right there too even suggested FL. St. Fiske after watching S.B. practice.  My only post before the 2nd. rd. started I said we should take a hard look at DL because of value, also suggested the trade down on our pick 40. I like the pick of course but thought it might be Jenkins or Fiske in a trade down. Thought we might take Ladd first (SIP pick for 36).  But he went 2 picks before ours liked him also from the senior bowl.

[redskinss]

I don't watch college football and I don't watch tape of every player in the draft, usually just the ones we might have serious interest in and then after the draft I watch the tape of the guys we drafted. 

I hadn't seen anything of him and hadn't heard his name much so i was in the tad surprised category like most because of his position but I also firmly believe that bpa is a much better strategy than need and no top player in the nfl has ever been a regret in hindsight because they didn't have a need at the time, it's why I'm in the minority on the michael penix pick as well, I see a world 2 or 3 years down the road where that pick is considered brilliant when cousins is washed and he's a possible top ten qb for them.

I see a similar possibility with Newton.

This guy's tape is truly special, his hand usage is phenomenal, the way he can shed blockers with rips, swims and pulls is about as good as it gets.

In a couple years when we're likely trying to shed some salary to create space because allen is on the wrong side of 30 this guy could be a 23 year old top 5 d tackle still on a rookie contract and for the next two years we could have one of the best tackle rotations in the game.

This is what good teams do, they stack position groups for rotational purposes and think years down the road not just next year.

 

After watching this guy's film I absolutely love this pick!

[lavar1156]

PSU fans know Newton well. He completely dominated the game against us this past season. Im glad he's on our side now!

[SkinsGuy]

2 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

We aren’t trading Allen. Why are people allergic to stacking talent?

 

So true.

 

How do you develop quality depth on the team if for every DT you bring in, you get rid of another one.

 

Having a nice rotation of players that include Payne,  Allen and Newton is best. 

 

[sinews]

I don't think it's a stretch at all to say I believe this kid is going to be an absolute beast and will quickly make us forget about what pick we used to take him.

 

This is the exact kind of BPA pick that Rivera would have passed on for a lesser prospect, and while claiming to see something others hadn't in the latter (classic Ron–outsmarting himself while still being a numpty). Passing on Newton would have been an Olave/Gonzales type of blunder. So happy we're done with that. 

[Skinsinparadise]

Diving deeper into watching him, wow is he disruptive.  His stats are very good.  but for me what I look for in pass rushers are guys that are constantly disruptive.  That's him.

 

Strong hands-great motor.

 

I read that he thinks if he ran he'd run in the 4.7 range.  Not sure I agree he's that fast but he's certainly fast for a DT.

 

He's not also just one of those DTs who tries to blow up the line of scrimmage and if he doesn't they just watch the play behind them in a slow job.  This dude chases down offensive players whether they are in front of him or behind. 

[redskinss]

56 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Diving deeper into watching him, wow is he disruptive.  His stats are very good.  but for me what I look for in pass rushers are guys that are constantly disruptive.  That's him.

 

 

It's also the way he's disruptive, I'm not saying every defensive tackle is powerful but I think it's a more common trait than elite hand usage and high football iq.

You look at someone like Byron Murphy and he uses his hands well but he's usually beating guys with power.

Newton would stack, sit there patiently waiting for the play to develop and then throw his blocker to the side like a ragdoll, it was very fun to watch.