The 2021 NFL Draft takes place April 29-May 1 this year, emanating LIVE from Cleveland, Ohio. As it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. General manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 22nd overall selection. Over the next few weeks, your boy “Big Natural” Stoney Keeley will be taking a look at some of the prospects who are either rumored to be tied to or who make sense for the Titans. Today, we’re lookin’ at Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome.
No two ways about it – there’s an overhaul in the secondary for this Titans defense. It was a major issue in 2020. Guys were routinely lining up 10 yards off their man. “Communication issues” were routinely cited as plaguing the defense. And, the bottom line is that it all led to this unit getting absolutely shredded (with the exception of Malcolm Butler, who was arguably the best Titans defender in 2020). Adoree Jackson didn’t look like himself when he returned to the lineup. Kristian Fulton was hurt the bulk of the year. The Johnathan Joseph experiment was a disaster. The Titans elected to let Desmond King go after trading a draft pick to get him. Chris Jackson was thrust into an impossible position as a late-round draft pick. Just about everybody in that unit was bad. So, J-Rob and Vrabel decided to blow the whole thing up and essentially start over. Butler was cut as a way to free up some cap space, but the major surprise came when they also decided to cut Jackson as well. They signed Janoris Jenkins, who is a solid man coverage corner, and Kevin Johnson, who will likely serve a depth role. Fulton is the only other corner they’re set to ride or die with in 2021. So, cornerback now becomes a pressing need. In fact, I think it’s something the team has to address in the first two rounds, should the talent and value be there. It’s wide receiver. And, it’s cornerback.
One name keeps popping up in all the mocks that really caught my attention, and that’s Greg Newsome. The former Northwestern Wildcats corner has the mindset you want at the corner position, and he’s demonstrated a combative, agitating approach to the position. He’s aggressive and physical (detractors may say “grabby”), but he is all over his man. He is sticky, sticky, sticky – Newsome is like a gnat that won’t go away. So much so, that more often than not, teams just didn’t throw at him. He’s perfect if you want another cover guy to put opposite of Jenkins (*ahem* excuse me – Jackrabbit). But, Newsome can do more than that – he’s a willing tackler in run support and could be used in blitzes. The Titans could use a competitive and driven guy like Newsome in a variety of ways.
I particularly like how well he defended the deep ball at Northwestern, showing an ability to shut down that aspect of the opponent’s offense altogether. But, that will certainly be tested with an upgrade in competition at the NFL level. He doesn’t have a lot of electric takeaways on his resume, but he’s sound in the fundamental aspects of the game like footwork, positioning/angles, and tackling. He had 10 PBUs in 2020, but the interceptions just didn’t come off of that. So, that’s a concern given the up tic in competition. Penalties have also been listed as a concern, as he does tend to get a little handsy, and maybe too aggressive. Then, there’s the fact that Newsome has missed time in each of his last three seasons due to injury. That’s the only thing that would make me a little hesitant if I were the Titans. If you look at how depleted this secondary is, and how injuries impacted the team a year ago, you want somebody reliable in there. But, all in all, I really like the way Newsome plays and I like his potential fit with the Titans. J-Rob and Vrabel seem to have a profile of the guys they like, and Newsome fits it.
Further reading: It’s time to see Northwestern’s Greg Newsome as a first-round cornerback
2021 TITANS FIRST ROUND OPTIONS
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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