If there was one word to describe cornerback Greg Newsome II, it would probably be "confident."
His confidence was on full display during his epic battle with Purdue's David Bell this past season. After a pass breakup, Newsome got up and went over to the Purdue sideline and made sure they knew he was all over their star receiver. The confidence to trash talk an entire sideline served Newsome well during his career in Evanston.
Newsome was a relatively under-the-radar prospect when he first declared for the NFL Draft on Dec. 21, but he shouldn't have been. He had nine PBUs during the 2019 season, good for top 10 in the conference, despite only playing eight games due to injury. He was one of the best corners in the country in 2020, arguably the best.
As time has gone on and more people around the NFL have watched his impressive film, he has shot up draft boards. Today, as he competes in Northwestern's Pro Day, he is projected to be a first-rounder in many mock drafts.
But Newsome still isn't satisfied. He thinks he should be ranked higher.
"I'm finally starting to get some of the respect that I deserve," Newsome said. "I know that people are defining me as a top-five corner, but I think I should be getting defined as a top-two or one corner."
There's that confidence we were talking about.
It wasn't long after that Purdue game that Newsome decided he was going to take his talents to the NFL after the season.
"Really, the decision came down to me talking to Coach Fitz (head coach Pat Fitzgerald), him bringing me into his office and asking me what I was thinking," Newsome said. "During that point in the season, I actually wasn't thinking about anything; I was just trying to get us wins, just trying to focus on finishing my season strong.
"Coach Fitz and (director of football operations) Cody (Cejda) told me scouts were giving me pretty good grades, and I asked Coach Fitz, 'What do you think?' and he said if I was his son, that he would tell me to leave. So from that moment on, I knew that after the season I was going to declare; that was two to three weeks before the Big Ten Championship."
The fact that Newsome was not thinking about his future but focused on the team tells you what Newsome is all about. Even though he enjoys the spotlight, he's a team-first guy. Even when talking about his NFL Draft stock, he mentioned his teammates flying under the radar.
"Coming from a school like Northwestern, a lot of guys don't expect us to have this many talented guys coming out," Newsome said. "It's great to finally see the respect that's coming to me, but there's still a ton of guys who are going to be at this Pro Day (Tuesday) who don't have enough respect given to them.
"We're still all underdogs at the end of the day, coming from a school like Northwestern. I still don't think we get talked about enough."
In order to train for Northwestern's Pro Day, Newsome has been in Arizona working with EXOS, a training company that has produced 165 first-round picks. He said he made bonds that will last a lifetime with the guys he has worked out with there.
Fitzgerald's straightforwardness with Newsome about his NFL future is part of how Fitzgerald prepares his players for the next level, where nothing is guaranteed.
"With Fitz, he's been honest with me the whole way," Newsome said. "Whether I was a recruit, whether I was a freshman, a sophomore or a junior, just him being honest with me prepared me for the next level. He never promised me anything. He only promised me that if I worked hard, I would have a chance to come play and be a darn good player."
In Newsome's final year in purple, he was named first-team All-Big Ten and third-team All-American. It's safe to say he turned into a darn good player.
Newsome enjoyed those accolades, but they aren't what he remembers most about Northwestern's breakthrough 2020 campaign. It's not his first-career interception against Wisconsin, or any of the other outstanding plays he made, either.
No, Newsome's favorite moment was watching retiring defensive coordinator Mike Hankwitz get his 400th career win when the Wildcats thumped Auburn in the VRBO Citrus Bowl. Newsome was out with a groin injury and didn't even travel to Orlando with the team for that game, but is was still his favorite memory because he had a great bond with Hankwitz and was happy to see him go out the way he wanted.
Newsome said he will always remember Hankwitz instilling in him that no play is perfect; there is always room to get better. He's used that in the draft process, too.
Even though he had an outstanding season, he's working to show NFL teams at the Pro Day that he is strong enough to handle the physicality of the NFL and fast enough to keep up with NFL receivers. Newsome also said that he is working on trusting his eyes more and not hesitating to attack.
When looking back at his entire career, Newsome says that his favorite moment happened two years before he was named an All-American, way back when he was a true freshman playing in his first career game on a Thursday night in West Lafayette, Ind. in 2018.
"That was the first time I played in a college football stadium," he said. "It was packed. That was my first win as a collegiate football player, as well, so nothing's going to ever take away from that first game."
The two other corners that Newsome played with in that 31-27 win over Purdue in the season opener were Montre' Hartage, who went on to be named first-team All-Big Ten that season, and Trae Williams. Newsome credits both of them with helping him become the player he is today. He mimicked everything they did from the day he set foot on campus; he watched film when they did, he hit the ice baths to recover when they did. They taught him how to be a starting corner in the Big Ten
This year, Newsome was the veteran corner that the younger guys looked up to. He led by example by being a great player and teammate, but the biggest trait he tried to pass on was, of course, his confidence.
Newsome gave the Sky Team its swagger and was one of the primary reasons the Wildcats finished the season with the No. 1 pass efficiency defense in the nation in 2020.
"That room last season played with a ton of confidence," he said. "That goes a long way. You got to believe in yourself, and know that you can go out there and you're the best player on that field. I just instilled in those guys that they are the best, and we are still the best secondary in the country."
