Seahawks 2024 Draft Profile: Jer'Zhan Newton

With the 2024 NFL Draft set to kick off in Detroit on Thursday, April 25, the Seattle Seahawks will look to infuse their roster with young talent as they embark on a new era under coach Mike Macdonald, starting with the 16th overall pick in the first round.

Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, I will be dishing out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board, including prospect background, strengths, weaknesses, and potential fit on Macdonald's squad.

Continuing this year's scouting series, even after re-signing Leonard Williams, the Seahawks could still be in the hunt for defensive line help. Would feisty Illinois defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton be the ideal first-round candidate to fortify the trenches?

Background: Starring at Clearwater Central High School in Florida, Newton was named a 2019 All-American by Max Preps after racking up 104 tackles,16 sacks, and 29.5 tackles for loss as a senior. For his entire prep career, he produced 24 sacks, 45 tackles for loss, and five forced fumbles before committing to join the Fighting Illini over several other interested FBS schools. After seeing snaps as a true freshman, he earned All-Big Ten honors in 2021 and 2022 while being named Second-Team All-American in his redshirt sophomore season. Capping off a fantastic college career while playing through a broken foot that required surgery earlier this year, Newton earned AP First-Team All-American honors and captured Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year producing 52 tackles, 7.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, and two pass deflections.

Strengths: Functioning like an atom on the verge of splitting off the snap, Newton plays every snap with high voltage and possesses a quick first step that allows him to threaten edges as an upfield rusher versus guards as a 3-tech defensive tackle as well as tackles as a big defensive end. Along with having well-developed rip/dip and hand swipe moves to help shoot past blockers, he also has a menacing bull rush for a smaller defensive lineman, throwing boulders for hands and transforming speed into unrelenting power to knock opponents backward and sometimes even into the turf.

As a rusher, Newton has plenty of positional flexibility, as the Fighting Illini deployed him as a 3-tech/4i-tech defensive tackle on 330 snaps and a 5-tech defensive end covering opposing tackles on 380 snaps last season. Excelling in multiple alignments, he also proved adept at finding his way into the backfield on schemed twists and stunts, frequently using his speed and quickness to close in on quarterbacks as the looper crashing the pocket when Illinois played games up front.

Aside from his ability to pressure quarterbacks, Newton also developed into a stout run defender and uses his hands effectively most of the time when stacking and shedding blocks to zone in on ball carriers. Per Pro Football Focus, he finished tied for eighth among defensive tackles with 25 run stops and played at his best in goal line and short yardage situations, using his athleticism and strength to fend off blocks in traffic and consistently make plays at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield.

A maximum effort defender in every sense, Newton never gives up on play and even when he initially loses at the line of scrimmage, he often finds ways to track down runners and get involved making tackles downfield. His below average depth of tackle of three yards against the run is a bit misleading because of this, as he ran down ball carriers on numerous occasions in pursuit from the other side of the line several yards downfield.

Weaknesses: For the most part, Newton offsets his lack of length (32 3/8 inch arms) with sound technique and plus-athleticism. However, opposing blockers have found success getting hands into him before he can connect off the snap and coupled with a tendency to play a bit high, he can end up in situations where he gets stone-walled and struggles to utilize his array of counters or raw power to free himself from blocks. Improving pad level and landing strikes on the frame of opposing blockers quicker will be crucial for him to reach his potential.

While effort will never be questioned with Newton, his relentless nature has led to poor pursuit angles or undisciplined rushing lanes at times. He finished with 7.5 sacks as a junior, but that number could have been significantly higher, as he missed several of them due to shaky paths to the quarterback and a disappointing number of missed tackles on 42 total pressures last season.

Missed tackles didn't just show up for Newton as a pass rusher, either. Last season, he missed an ugly 20 percent of his tackle attempts and as a run defender, he missed 14 percent of his tackle opportunities, leaving more plays on the field than expected of a player of his caliber. Prospective teams will be banking on his health being the biggest reason for his missed tackle rate doubling compared to 2022.

Fit in Seattle: In the short term, the Seahawks have several more pressing needs than defensive line after re-signing Williams to go along with veterans Jarran Reed, Dre'Mont Jones, and massive nose tackle Johnathan Hankins. But beyond 2024, Reed will be a free agent and Jones' status could be in question if he doesn't rebound from a somewhat disappointing first season with the organization.

Considering the importance of disruptive play up front on defense, Newton's penetrating ability, top-tier athleticism, and versatility could make him a prime candidate for Seattle to select as early as 16th overall to plug into an already rock solid defensive line rotation. The key will be his medicals, as he wasn't able to work out at the combine or Illinois pro day on March 8, and his recovery status will go a long way towards when he hears his name called. If everything checks out, he'd be a fun fit to potentially play a similar role to Justin Madubuike in Macdonald's scheme.