Growing up in Chicago, Greg Newsome believed he would be the next great basketball star.
His mother had a different vision.
Newsome recalls his mother recognizing his football talent as early as the sixth grade. With 7-on-7 football becoming an option around this time, Newsome was pulled out of organized basketball and began to primarily play football.
At the time, Newsome was angry. As time unfolded, Newsome now believes it was the best decision anyone could have made.
Newsome is one of the top options at cornerback in the 2021 NFL draft and could possibly be selected in the first round.
“I thought I was the best basketball player there was,” Newsome said. “But with choosing football, it was put in front of me. I knew the opportunities football would afford me. There are more (scholarships) in football. I give all the credit to my mom.”
A three-star prospect in high school, Newsome had numerous scholarship offers from Power 5 programs. However, he believes he was under-recruited, considering he spent part of high school at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, since the traditional powers didn’t come calling. Newsome has taken those perceived slights to heart, saying that to this day he still thinks about the coaches who didn’t extend a scholarship offer.
Newsome saw significant playing time in all three seasons he played at Northwestern, with his junior season elevating his draft stock considerably. Playing in six games this past season, Newsome rarely let the other team’s top option do much damage. Against Purdue, Newsome limited receiver David Bell to 78 receiving yards, snapping a five-game streak where the star wideout posted over 100 yards.
At Northwestern’s Pro Day, Newsome further piqued the interest of NFL personnel in attendance by running the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds. NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Newsome as his 28th-ranked prospect and loves the prospect’s 6-foot-1 frame with his speed. In his latest mock draft, Jeremiah has Newsome going 20th overall to the Chicago Bears.
“He’s always in position, what we like to call being in-phase,” Jeremiah said. “You never see a lot of separation there with him in his assignments. He’s really clean from that standpoint. He’s so smooth. I think there were some questions about just how fast he was, and sometimes we see guys like that. Well, he’s as fast as he needs to be.
“I was talking with a GM the other day about him, and he said they were having their draft meetings. He said, ‘We all kind of questioned his speed, and then we went around the room and (asked if there are) any examples of anybody running away from him? Well, no. I don’t see anybody running away from him.’”
If Newsome is taken in the top 20, the Falcons won’t have a chance to take him unless they have him ranked ahead of Alabama’s Patrick Surtain, South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley on their draft board. The Falcons could always trade back from the fourth selection, although presumably not far enough to select Newsome considering where he’s projected to go.
That stated, if Newsome falls far enough, perhaps he is available at the 35th overall selection, in the second round. If so, the cornerback position could be in play since Fabian Moreau and Isaiah Oliver are slated to be free agents after the 2021 season.
Newsome said his approach to the game should be enticing to NFL teams in need of a cornerback in this year’s draft.
“There’s really no secret. Starts with the mentality,” Newsome said. “I’m a very confident player, and I think if I eliminate those deep routes, nobody is gonna beat us. Just knowing where my help is coming from and my teammates are doing their jobs, I don’t want to let the team down.”
Newsome is a fierce competitor who is able to turn perceived slights into motivation. Although he considers himself a nice guy in day-to-day life, a different persona appears on game day.
“On the field I flip a switch. I’m a competitor. I hate to lose,” Newsome said. “I do have that chip (on my shoulder). Even at practice I play so hard all the time. I think I was slept on and I still think I am -- in this draft, in college football. Every single down I have that chip and remember where I came from. Even being recruited as a high schooler I was slept on, and I always have that in the back of my mind.
“I have a huge family, and they’ve been great supporting me and making sacrifices for me. The reason I play the way I do is so I can pay them back in the future.”
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