Gregory Newsome II (born May 18, 2000) is an American professional football cornerback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats and was selected by the Browns in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

Greg Newsome II
refer to caption
Newsome II in 2021
No. 0 – Cleveland Browns
Position:Cornerback
Personal information
Born: (2000-05-18) May 18, 2000 (age 24)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:192 lb (87 kg)
Career information
High school:IMG Academy (Bradenton, Florida)
College:Northwestern (2018–2020)
NFL draft:2021 / round: 1 / pick: 26
Career history
Roster status:Injured reserve
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2024
Total tackles:148
Sacks:1.0
Pass deflections:32
Interceptions:2
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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Newsome attended Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, Illinois before transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida for his senior year. He committed to Northwestern University to play college football.[1][2]

College career

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Newsome recorded 71 tackles and one interception over three years at Northwestern.[3] He started 18 games and led the Wildcats to two Big Ten title games.[4][5] As a junior in 2020, he was named an All-American by The Athletic.[6] After that season, he entered the 2021 NFL draft.[7]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0 in
(1.83 m)
192 lb
(87 kg)
31 18 in
(0.79 m)
8 78 in
(0.23 m)
4.38 s 1.50 s 2.53 s 4.26 s 6.90 s 40.0 in
(1.02 m)
10 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
18 reps
All values from Pro Day[8][9][10]
 
Newsome with the Cleveland Browns in 2021

On April 29, 2021, Newsome was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the first round with the 26th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.[11] Newsome's pick marked the first time Northwestern has had two first-round picks in the NFL draft after Rashawn Slater was taken 13th overall. He was the fourth cornerback taken in the draft.[12] On July 24, 2021, Newsome signed his four-year rookie contract with Cleveland, worth $12.75 million.[13] He started all 12 games he appeared in as a rookie. He had 37 total tackles and nine passes defensed.[14] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[15] In the 2022 season, he started all 15 games he appeared in. He had .5 sacks, 42 total tackles, and six passes defensed.[16]

In Week 10 of the 2023 season, Newsome recorded his first interception off of Lamar Jackson and returned it for a touchdown as the Browns would go on to win 33-31.[17]

On April 30, 2024, the Browns picked up the fifth-year option on Newsome's contract.[18]

NFL career statistics

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Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
G GS Comb Total Ast Sack PD Int Yds Avg Lng TDs FF FR
2021 CLE 12 11 37 33 4 0.0 9 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2022 CLE 15 15 42 32 11 0.5 6 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2023 CLE 14 13 49 34 15 0.5 14 2 34 17.0 34 1 0 0
Total 41 39 128 98 30 1.0 34 2 34 17.0 34 1 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Narang, Bobby (April 13, 2017). "Glenbard North DB Greg Newsome commits to Northwestern, Peoria QB Coran Taylor to Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Tim, Edgy (April 3, 2017). "Northwestern nabs another: GBN's Greg Newsome commits to Wildcats". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  3. ^ "Greg Newsome II College Stats, School, Draft, Gamelog, Splits". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  4. ^ "Greg Newsome II Career Stats". ESPN.com. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Poisal, Anthony (April 30, 2021). "5 things to know about Greg Newsome, the Browns' 1st pick of the 2021 NFL Draft". Cleveland Browns. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  6. ^ "College football 2020 All-America team: Alabama tops the nation with 6 picks". The Athletic. December 23, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  7. ^ Thamel, Pete (December 21, 2020). "Northwestern CB Greg Newsome declaring for NFL draft". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  8. ^ "Greg Newsome II Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  9. ^ "Greg Newsome II, Northwestern, CB, 2021 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "Greg Newsome II 2021 NFL Draft Profile". ESPN. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Gribble, Andrew (April 29, 2021). "Browns select Northwestern CB Greg Newsome II with No. 26 pick in 2021 NFL Draft". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  12. ^ Stone, Mac (April 29, 2021). "BREAKING: Greg Newsome II selected 26th overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2021 NFL Draft". Inside NU. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  13. ^ Cabot, Mary Kay (July 24, 2021). "Browns No. 26 pick Greg Newsome II signs his 4-year rookie contract worth about $12.748 million". cleveland.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  14. ^ "Greg Newsome 2021 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  15. ^ "2021 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  16. ^ "Greg Newsome 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  17. ^ "Watson rallies Browns from 14 down in 4th to 33-31 win over Ravens, tightening AFC North". ESPN. Associated Press. November 12, 2023. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  18. ^ Russo, Kelsey (April 30, 2024). "Browns exercise 5th-year option for Greg Newsome II". ClevelandBrowns.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024.
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