Iowa offensive line has to contend with Outland Trophy finalist Jer’Zhan Newton of Illinois

CEDAR RAPIDS — The question for Jer’Zhan Newton was pretty straight foward.

Go to The League now, take your chances about where you are drafted? Or come back to the University of Illinois one more year, fill up your game highlights tape some more and hopefully cement your status as a high draft pick.

Potentially a very high draft pick.

“I had a dominant year last year,” Newton told Big Ten Network this week. “Gave a lot of thought throughout the process of coming back or going to the draft. I knew I wasn’t going to be where I wanted to be drafted, so I talked to Coach B, and he was like ‘Man, you come back, give that energy you had last year, and I promise you that you’ll be going first round.’

“It’s every kid’s dream that plays football to go first round, so I came back, been doing my thing, and hopefully I’ll go high in this draft.”

The senior defensive tackle is one of seven finalists for the 2023 Outland Trophy, which goes to the top interior lineman in the country. The only other defensive lineman on the list is T’Vondre Sweat of Texas.

It would seem Newton has as good a chance to win it as anyone. He has an even better chance to be that first-round NFL pick he so desires to be.

Virtually everyone who considers themselves a draft expert has Newton being picked in the first round. He could go in the top half of the first round.

“For me, in terms of defensive linemen in college, he's by far the best player I've been around," Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said this week. "The biggest difference is that when he beats guards, centers and tackles, he has an incredible ability to close on quarterbacks.

“He does that at a really high level."

Iowa certainly will game plan for Newton when it plays him and his fellow Fighting Illini at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Opening kickoff is set for 2:35 p.m. (FS1).

“Our guys are going to have to be at their best,” Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz said. “He’s typically into the boundary, so he’ll play both sides, left and right side. He’s really got an unusual combination. He’s an extremely physical, big physical guy, but he’s also really athletic. It’s tough to block him, tough to get in on him. And if you do, you’re not going to stay in there long. He’s a rare talent.

“He’s a guy that’s just a really unusual combination of size, strength, speed, and agility. It’s going to be tough.”

Newton was a mostly unheralded recruit coming out of Clearwater Central Catholic High School in Florida. He originally committed to Maryland but flipped late to Illinois when Lovie Smith was the head coach.

He started two games as a true freshman in 2020, then 11 the following season. The 6-foot-2, 295-pounder tied for the national lead in quarterback pressures for an interior lineman last season and was named an all-Big Ten and All-America player.

He leads all interior linemen nationally this season in QB pressures (39) and is a top-seven candidate for the Outland Trophy, top five for the Nagurski Trophy (top defender in college football), a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award (as one of the top 20 defenders in college football) and the Lombardi Award (top 12 offensive/defensive linemen) in college football.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “I started picking up a little buzz last year. To see it this year is pretty cool. All the hard work (is) coming into play. I’m just chasing my dream every day.”

You know that dream.

“I can’t tell you what (teams) think of me, but all I want to show is dominance every play,” Newton said. “Be someone who is unblockable. (To show) that I’m one of the best prospects in the draft. Doing what I can to help the team win.”

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