Where does TCU CB Josh Newton rank in the 2024 NFL Draft with his scouting report? His profile isn’t superlative, but Newton does so many little things well, and he plays with an unmistakable kind of energy that NFL evaluators will surely enjoy.
Josh Newton Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 5’11”
- Weight: 190 pounds
- Position: Cornerback
- School: TCU
- Current Year: Redshirt Senior
Newton’s football career spans all the way back to 2018, when he joined the UL Monroe Warhawks as a WR recruit out of Ouachita Parish High School. Newton was coming off a senior season in which he caught 35 passes for 733 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Newton was a big-play threat in high school, but after redshirting in 2018, he decided to turn his focus to preventing big plays on the other side of the ball. Newton transitioned to CB during spring practices in 2019, and from that point on, he was a full-time starter.
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Newton grew to become a very respectable cover man in the Sun Belt and peaked with a 2021 campaign that saw him rack up 48 tackles, five tackles for loss, two interceptions, and eight pass breakups. He’d then transfer to TCU, moving to the Power Five ranks.
Josh Newton is a CB prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored a 6.41 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 890 out of 2473 CB from 1987 to 2024. https://t.co/pdebk8eCE3 pic.twitter.com/1NXzdPncBp
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 23, 2024
In 2022, Newton was a first-team All-Big 12 performer with three interceptions and 12 pass breakups. And in 2023, though he took a slight step back, he still provided quality play and versatility to the Horned Frogs’ secondary.
Now, Newton is on his way to the 2024 NFL Draft. He’s accepted his invite to the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl, and he’s due to compete with other talented coverage defenders for top-100 capital.
Newton’s Scouting Report
Strengths
- Fairly explosive athlete who can rocket downhill in support and throttle up freely.
- Fleet-footed, high-energy short-area mover with tremendous recovery athleticism.
- Has fluid 180-degree hinge fluidity and can seamlessly transition to match vertically.
- Has the necessary vertical speed to often avoid giving separation over the top.
- Brings instant response to stimulus in press-man coverage, keying in on WR’s hips.
- Plays low in his stance and naturally stays square with receivers leading into stems.
- Can effortlessly kick-slide and vary his technique to adapt and match WR leverage.
- Has a smooth, efficient pedal in off-man and zones and can instantly snap into phase.
- Active communicator and keen processor in zone, with good blind spot awareness.
- Authoritative with his frame and positioning in vertical coverage, boxing out receivers.
- Disciplined with positioning and hip leverage overtop versus vertical-threatening WRs.
- Tenacious press-man cornerback who exhaustively uses the five-yard contact window.
- Former WR with stellar ball skills, timing, coordination, and authoritative zeal.
- Has the versatility to play the boundary, the slot, or loom over stacked alignments.
- Willing, high-energy support defender who triggers quickly and fights blocks.
Weaknesses
- Average-sized cover man whose proportional length is above-average at best.
- Explosiveness and speed, while very good, are not quantifiably elite traits.
- Lack of elite recovery speed can cause him to be a tick late on extensions in pursuit.
- Doesn’t have elite swivel freedom or sink when turning to clamp down on out-breakers.
- Is sometimes late to turn upfield in off-man and can give space to elite speed threats.
- Occasionally widens his back foot a bit too far when planting on breaks, losing balance.
- At times, leans back on his heels too much matching releases, slightly delaying turns.
- Sometimes overcommits against vertical threats on his pedal, leaving space underneath.
- With his foot speed, can be baited into wasting motion at stems by rocker-steps.
- Is sometimes over-reliant on grabs and tugs to keep leverage with receivers at stems.
- Can be a bit late to get his head around and track passes when recovering ground.
- Doesn’t have high-end play strength and needs time to work through open-field blocks.
- Will turn 24 years old in September of his rookie year.
Current Draft Projection and Summary
Newton grades out as a top-100 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft on my board. He’ll be an older rookie, and he doesn’t have the highest physical ceiling among his peers, but he’s still worthy of mid-to-late Day 2 capital as a scheme-versatile CB prospect.
At around 5’11”, 190 pounds, without elite speed or explosiveness, Newton’s developmental potential is somewhat capped. But for the better part of four seasons, Newton has proven what he is: A physical, confident, technically sound playmaker at CB.
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Newton isn’t flashy, but he has enough burst and speed to work with, and his torrid foot speed and lively short-area agility allow him to vary techniques with ease and correct his positioning.
Beyond that foundation, he’s a quick processor, a physical competitor, and a proactive disruption agent.
Without elite speed, burst, or fluidity, Newton’s margin for error will be smaller at the NFL level, and he’ll need to cut down on some minor technical inefficiencies.
Wasted motion can be an issue at times, as well as premature vertical reactions, to hedge for his non-elite athletic profile.
Having said all this, Newton’s profile is solid across the board. His corrective foot speed and recalibration freedom, combined with his physicality, allow him to dictate reps in press-man, and his deep technical pallet enables him to flow overtop routes in zone and off-man. And his physicality translates in support as well.
Newton may never be an All-Pro, and he may be prone to big plays on a periodical basis. But his well-rounded profile — along with his slot, boundary, and scheme versatility and WR-esque playmaking chops — gives him solid starter potential across all schemes.
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