The Cleveland Browns selected Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II with the 26th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Newsome, 20, was the fourth cornerback picked in Thursday night’s draft:
- The Carolina Panthers selected South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn,
- the Denver Broncos selected Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II
- and the Tennessee Titans selected Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley.
“I am the best corner in the draft, and Cleveland picked me for a reason,” Newsome told media members late Thursday night.
The 6-foot, 192-pound Chicago native was among Northwestern’s two first-round picks on Thursday night: the Los Angeles Chargers picked offensive tackle Rashawn Slater with the 13th overall pick.
On Thursday night, Newsome spoke about the chip he plays with dating back to his senior year of high school playing at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
“If I’m not the first pick in the draft, then everyone made a mistake,” Newsome said.
With the 26th pick …. pic.twitter.com/y1JwrseJ15
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 30, 2021
Welcome to Cleveland, Greg Newsome II❗️#BrownsDraft | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/wlCHYvTypK
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 30, 2021
Newsome said he watched Thursday night’s draft at a Life Time Fitness in Oak Brook, Illinois.
Headed into the 2021 season, Newsome will likely compete with Greedy Williams for a starting position opposite Denzel Ward.
“That’s someone I mirror my game after a little bit,” Newsome said of Ward.
Williams, a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, missed the entire 2020 season with a shoulder injury.
“I’m definitely going into a secondary that’s got a lot of swagger, and I just can’t wait to play with those guys,” Newsome said.
Plus, the Browns signed cornerback Troy Hill to a four-year, $24 million contract in the offseason.
“Whatever coach needs me to do, I’ll be willing to do,” Newsome said.
On Thursday night, Newsome said it was his goal to start for the Browns in 2021.
The Browns secondary should be improved compared to a year ago considering they signed safety John Johnson III in the offseason, and are due to get back safety Grant Delpit from an Achilles injury.
At Northwestern’s pro day in March, Newsome ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and registered a 40-inch vertical.
In 2020, Newsome was a first-team Big Ten selection and a third-team All-American.
Last season, Pro Football Focus data shows Newsome allowed a completion percentage of 31.6% to throws in his direction.
Newsome also led the Big Ten with 10 passes defended in 2020, and he did not allow a completion on 3rd down.
In 2020, Newsome played in six games, had 12 tackles and one interception.
It marked Newsome’s lone interception in three seasons for the Wildcats.
However, Newsome had 11 passes defended in 2019, which ranked second in the Big Ten.
Newsome struggled with injuries in college, playing nine games in 2019 and six games in 2018.
The Browns have three picks entering Friday: No. 57 in the second round and Nos. 89 and 91 in the third round.
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