Scouts: Is Newman’s Versatility Blessing or Curse?

Scouts had wildly contrasting opinions about Ole Miss offensive lineman Royce Newman, the Green Bay Packers' fourth-round pick.

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
May 19, 2021 4:53 PM EDT

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Versatility is Royce Newman’s calling card.

The question among scouts before the 2021 NFL Draft was whether Newman’s a jack of all trades or simply a master of none.

“I think he sucks,” one scouting director said the Green Bay Packers’ fourth-round pick.

On the other hand, said one area scout: “He could be a four-position backup at the very least if not a starter.”

Newman started at left guard as a junior at Ole Miss and at right tackle as a senior. While he wasn’t pressed into service, he worked at center before the Senior Bowl after future Packers second-round pick Josh Myers of Ohio State and Landon Dickerson of Alabama were unavailable due to injuries.

“Extremely versatile. He can probably play four spots for you,” Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy said. “He’s never repped at center but Royce was ready to do it and had been practicing it. So, I think you could play him at either guard, center or right tackle, maybe even left tackle in a pinch. He’s a really versatile guy.”

After drafting Newman, Packers co-director co-director of player personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said Newman could play “winning” football at guard and tackle. Relayed that comment, the scouting director said:

“All of that is true. He can literally line up in all five spots but I don’t think he’d be good at any of them. He was a free agent for us.”

Statistically speaking, Newman was a better player at guard in 2019 than at tackle in 2020. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed one sack and 10 total pressures in 2019 compared to two sacks and 25 total pressures in 2020.

“I will say he was a little bit better at guard. You want him super-moonlighting at tackle,” the scouting director said. “If a couple guys go down, is he any worse than some other team’s eighth or ninth guy? Probably not, but you don’t consider him a swing tackle who could maybe develop into a starter. He’s an eighth O-lineman that you’re always trying to replace. He does have a leg up because he can literally go in and play all five spots. That gives you a leg up. It’s not going to be good and that’s not always the goal, but I get it. I just didn’t think he was any good at any of those spots. He’s played a lot of football, can play a bunch of different spots, played in the SEC, so I get it.”

Nagy and the area scout, on the other hand, saw starter potential.

“He has that O-line mentality,” the scout said. “He’s a country kid, he’s hungry, he’s humble. He fits the outside-zone stuff. He played four or five positions there at Ole Miss. He can get out and move. He’s always going to be an overachiever. He’s going to be the kind of guy that you want to try to replace but he’s going to find a way to get it done every year and you’re going to look up and it’s going to be 12 years and he’s going to be your most consistent offensive lineman. He was a fun interview. Fifteen minutes is over and you want to keep talking to him because he’s a good, smart, tough, gritty kid.”

General manager Brian Gutekunst has assembled an offensive line with all sorts of versatility. Last season, Billy Turner started at right guard, right tackle and left tackle. Elgton Jenkins, a center at Mississippi State, played every position but center last season. Lucas Patrick has started at all three interior positions. Myers could start at center or guard as a rookie. Jon Runyan, a sixth-round pick last year, played left tackle at Michigan and at both guard spots as a rookie.

Newman was drafted for the same reason.

“At minimum, you’re getting a Swiss Army knife guy that you can move around, but I think Royce ends up starting,” Nagy said. “You look at his pro day numbers, he’s a better athlete on tape than how he tested, which is more important. He’s a good athlete on tape. That’s about where I thought he’d go. At minimum, you’ve got a four-position backup, which is an extremely valuable guy to have when you get into the heart of the season. When guys start dropping, he can plug and play at a lot of different spots. He’s very smart, very tough, small-down, blue-collar dude. He’s what you want from a makeup standpoint. I really do think Royce will end up starting in the league.”