Soccer is a cyclical sport. Concepts and ideas are hardly ever new, and as changes get made they pressure each offenses and defenses to vary personnel and the physique sorts they search for. As free company started to unfold, it’s trying increasingly more like having good defensive sort out play is growing in worth. Offenses are leaning extra into larger our bodies up entrance and extra hole scheme run video games, just because many linebackers are actually 210-pound former safeties within the field. If groups wish to play like that defensively, having good tackles up entrance will turn out to be extra necessary.
As defensive tackles start to receives a commission extra and turn out to be extra worthwhile, it traces up completely with the 2024 NFL Draft class, and who I imagine is one of the best defensive participant of the bunch: Illinois defensive sort out Johnny Newton.
For the final two seasons, Newton has terrorized Huge 10 offensive traces to the tune of 89 pressures, 13 sacks and 23 tackles for loss, and the Illini protection put up report numbers in 2022. Let’s dig into his recreation to determine why he’s one of the best defensive participant within the class.
PHYSICALS:
6’2
304 lbs
32 3/8 inch arms
9 1⁄2 inch fingers
Whereas Newton doesn’t have the longest arms or greatest fingers, what stands out about Newton’s recreation is how violent his fingers are. He’s hardly ever shedding the hand combat on the line of scrimmage within the run or passing recreation, and his capacity to shed defenders in each sides makes him a real three-down risk. In Illinois’ five-man protection, Newton was mirror-stepping with offensive linemen, which means he would react earlier than attacking. Regardless of that, he was nonetheless persistently beating linemen to the punch and making performs, because of his violent fingers which permit him to redirect into different gaps to make performs on the ball.
He’s actually good towards outdoors zone runs, the place he has the lateral pace to remain flat down the road of scrimmage to trace down ballcarriers, or the self-discipline to not get too far upfield and get into cutback lanes. His hand utilization all the time comes with a plan, and we see that present up within the run recreation. On this rep towards Iowa, he’s capable of displace the fingers towards a zone run, then squeeze again down the road of scrimmage to make the sort out. Particular stuff for a 300+ pound defender.
Newton additionally has the quickness to trace down performs from the bottom, making his play towards the run include a number of tackles for loss. His foot quickness off the ball plus disciplined run defending makes him a real ache to attempt to block. Michigan State came upon the exhausting means in 2022. Watch his capacity to remain lateral, however preserve one arm free to make this play on the bottom. His capacity to redirect and make performs is de facto good.
Right here you may see how Newton makes use of his first step and violent fingers to not make the sort out, however to total trigger chaos on this play. He blows up this run by merely depositing the guard within the again’s lap and letting his teammates clear it up.
In opposition to the cross, Newton is an absolute terror. He all the time has a cross rush plan and has distinctive closing burst to get to the QB. Newton loves a two hand swipe transfer, and has the hip flexibility to show the nook as soon as he will get the fingers off of him and end on the QB. Newton’s capacity to flatten kinda comes and goes, however when he’s on, there’s no extra harmful pressure defensively on this draft. In opposition to Minnesota, Newton rushes from off the sting as a result of the Illini drop their two edges into protection. Watch his capacity to bend this angle flat and chase down the QB … at 305 kilos. Fairly loopy mover!
When he’s speeding towards guards and facilities, he does such an important job of working one half of the lineman. He’s all the time aiming to get to their outdoors shoulder and might collapse a pocket from that time in addition to anybody within the class, no matter place.
Newton steps into an NFL locker room and instantly turns into a stress cooker together with his capacity to win going each throughout the face of a linemen and straight down the skin shoulder goes to unlock plenty of different cross rushers for no matter workforce will get Newton. Watch this rep towards Wisconsin, Newton loves to complete off the swipe with an arm-over, or swim transfer, as he will get previous the linemen’s shoulder, and it causes plenty of issues for opposing linemen.
Newton is also efficient on stunts and video games up entrance. Because the NFL shifts to altering the image up entrance defensively, having gamers who can win on cross rush video games and trigger havoc that means is all the time a plus. Newton’s quickness and hand utilization actually present up on this division, successfully deconstructing blocks on his method to pressuring QBs.
General, Newton is a dynamic three down prospect who has positional versatility, lining up as a 3T, 4i or 5T in Illinois’ 5 man entrance. His quickness and disruptiveness together with his fingers make him a simple analysis as each a run and cross defender, and the flexibility to complete within the cross rush recreation makes his ceiling extraordinarily excessive. Defensive tackles are all the fashion proper now, and Newton is one of the best of the bunch.
