NFL Draft

The only time Johnny wasn't productive last year was when he was getting triple teamed. Don't understand how NFL scouts watch his 1v1 film and see there wasn't a single OL in CFL that was slowing him down. Just like Klatt said, the same "criticisms" are what people said about Aaron Donald.

I was reading a quite a few analysts on Isaiah Williams and man was it brutal to hear how critical they were of him. He meant so much to our university and gave his all, but it's sad to hear what they had to say.

TheodoreRex said:

I was reading a quite a few analysts on Isaiah Williams and man was it brutal to hear how critical they were of him. He meant so much to our university and gave his all, but it's sad to hear what they had to say.

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It's incredibly difficult, but he isn't an elite athlete unfortunately. I think he is savvy and has the ability to be a 4th or 5th WR and special teamer in the NFL.

TheDrinkinLincoln said:

It's incredibly difficult, but he isn't an elite athlete unfortunately. I think he is savvy and has the ability to be a 4th or 5th WR and special teamer in the NFL.

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Guys like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola had very productive NFL careers without being spectacular athletes. Slot guy on the right team where coverage is being run to stop someone else combined with the smarts to find the holes in coverage will be his key to NFL success.

The knock on Johnny is measureables. That’s why he played at Illinois and not Alabama. It also doesn’t help that scouts haven’t seen him since the northwestern game. He will be a steal for whatever team drafts him. He has strong hands, good technique, plays with great pad level and a motor that goes non stop.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler Posted his annual "Beast" Draft Guide ranking nearly every player imaginable. A quick rundown of Illini that feature below. He only gives overall prospect ranks to his top 100, but gives the positional ranking and summary for guys with a chance of getting drafted. There's a ton of detailed information in there on individual projects, I'll give his one sentence summary below:

Johnny Newton - DT2 (28th ranked overall) - 1st / 2nd Round Grade
Summary - Overall, Newton’s undersized, compact frame will be a turn-off for some teams, but he is tough to block one-on-one, because of his gap quickness, natural power and nose for the ball. He projects as a dependable starting three-technique in the NFL.

Isaiah Adams - OG6 (85th ranked overall) - 3rd Round Grade
Summary - Overall, Adams’ play style sets him up to be out-leveraged, but his natural size, strength and mobility, along with his competitive makeup, are the ingredients teams desire in a mid -round developmental lineman. He projects as a backup guard with the potential to be more with continued coaching.

Tip Reiman - TE8 - 4th / 5th Round Grade
Summary - Overall, Reiman’s inexperience as a pass catcher and blocker is apparent, but he shows promise in both areas and should continue to improve with additional coaching. He will be targeted by “11” personnel offenses looking for a developmental Y/F tight end and special teamer.

Keith Randolph - DT18 - 6th Round Grade
Summary - Overall, Randolph is missing an explosive element to his arsenal, but he maintains gap integrity with his ability to lock out, track and do his job in the run game. He projects as an NFL backup who offers scheme versatility and depth at multiple positions.

Julian Pearl - OT23 - 6th / 7th Round Grade
Summary - Overall, Pearl is still rough around the edges, but if he can improve his oversetting and lunging tendencies as a pass blocker, he has the size, movement skills and run-blocking ability to make an NFL roster.

Isaiah Williams - WR34 - 7th Round Grade
Summary - Overall, Williams is an undersized, yet explosive pass catcher with the nifty skills to make something out of nothing with the ball in his hands. He projects as a rotational slot option and punt returner.

Casey Washington - WR39 - 7th Round / PFA Grade
Summary - Overall, Washington is a sleek, speedy athlete with secure hands to be a possession target, but he struggles to create consistent separation and needs to prove himself on special teams.


Ungraded Players - Only get a mention

John Paddock - QB55
Jordyn Slaughter - OG46
Denzel Daxon - DT43
Bryce Barnes - DT52
Tarique Barnes - LB47
Nicario Harper - S54

Link for subscribers: https://theathletic.com/5399690/2024/04/10/nfl-draft-2024-the-beast-dane-brugler/

Newton from an outsiders perspective (Cowboys fan)


(Doesn't know about the broken foot though)

I fell bad that I just came up with a line after a Jer'zahn Newton sack, "Newton's Fourth Law is that you just got sacked!"

Johnny Newton's parents are so freaking COOL!

Russillos pod with mccshay and Daniel Jeremiah mocked Newton to Green Bay. Please no

Knocks on Isiah - does not have elite speed, fumbled too much as punt returner, small size means he will be pummelled if he is forced to only run crossing routes.

KingWolf11 said:

Russillos pod with mccshay and Daniel Jeremiah mocked Newton to Green Bay. Please no

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Here I was getting excited to see where Johnny might go and you bring up a nightmare scenario I hadn't even considered. I truly don't know what I would do.

Joel Goodson said:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1783100859494055963

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Love it! Would love to see him in a Steelers uniform.

Joel Goodson said:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1783100859494055963

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He looked amazing for us at times, and less so at others.

It's easy to forget that grizzled college seniors are still very young men who are still developing their craft.

I definitely think he's better as a guard.

All of the above applies to Zy Crisler as well.

ChiefGritty said:

He looked amazing for us at times, and less so at others.

It's easy to forget that grizzled college seniors are still very young men who are still developing their craft.

I definitely think he's better as a guard.

All of the above applies to Zy Crisler as well.

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I think if he hadn't had to play out of position at T this year Adams would probably be firmly in the 2nd round discussion and maybe might still go there. He was a monster at G as a junior but like that twitter thread says maybe having that experience at T will pay off for him in the long run.

Boog dropping a Johnny Newton reference when talking about the draft on PTI.

Excited to see where he ends up going!

New thread to discuss the NFL Draft-