New York Giants Draft Preview: CB Josh Newton

Josh Newton could be worth a look on Day 3 for the New York Giants.

Josh Newton, CB

Height: 5’ 10 ⅜”
Weight: 190 lbs
Class: Sixth-Year Senior
School: TCU

Josh Newton was lightly-recruited as a wide receiver in the 2018 recruiting class that saw him as the 3,146th-ranked player in the country. The only FBS offer that Newton would receive was from Louisiana-Monroe, his hometown university, where he would stay until 2022 when he transferred to TCU.

Strengths

• Has experience playing just about every variety of coverage
• Can line up outside or in the slot
• Physical at the line of scrimmage to stunt receivers at the start of their route
• Shows the instincts in zone and aggressiveness to fly down to make a play on the ball
• Quick trigger to make a play on ball-carriers
• Consistently patient to engage receivers in press-man coverage
• Wraps up ball-carriers and drives his feet through the whistle
• Gets to his landmarks in zone coverage
• Lateral agility and explosiveness give reason to believe he will continue improving
• Gets his head turned around to try and make a play on the ball
• Over 500 snaps of special teams experience on field goal block, kick coverage, and on punt return (not as a returner)

Weaknesses

• 30th percentile height and 27th percentile wingspan may knock him down some team boards
• Will be 24 years old as a rookie
• Texas receivers found plenty of success against him in 2023 - future NFL receivers
• Long-speed is a concern - not massively but true deep threats can give him fits
• Needs to improve technically in some areas where someone with his experience should already be sound, specifically getting lower in his backpedal
• Has struggled breaking up passes when facing taller, jump-ball receivers

Summary

Newton is one of the most experienced players in the draft class with six years and over 4,000 snaps played in college. His skillset would allow teams to find a contributor on day three that can be a long-term depth piece at multiple spots as well as a spot starter if needed.

Scheme-versatility, position-versatility, and special teams contribution will help him find a landing spot in the NFL. He fits what the Giants will want to do coverage-wise and will allow them to strengthen the cornerback room temporarily while trying to add more pieces.

GRADE: 5.9

Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart

Nick Falato

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