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The call finally came for Johnny Newton at 6:35 p.m. Friday. About 24 hours after he hoped the phone would ring.
The Illinois All-American defensive tackle was the No. 36 overall pick in the NFL draft. The Washington Commanders selected him fourth in the second round.
The choice came as no surprise to Mel Kiper Jr. and the rest of the folks on the ESPN set. Newton was listed second on the network’s “Best Available” list going into the second round, just behind Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean.
“His athleticism pops off the tape,” ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said of Newton. “I love how he plays.”
McFarland’s on-air cohort Louis Riddick said Newton fits with the defense employed by first-year Commanders coach Dan Quinn.
The draft in Detroit started with most experts figuring Newton to be picked in the first round.
But 32 selections came and went Thursday night without Newton being called.
What happened? Hard to know for sure without talking to the NFL teams in general and their scouting and personnel departments in particular.
Was it partly the foot injury that kept Newton out of the first round? He played with a bad wheel during the 2023 season, which required surgery. He was held out of the physical portion of the annual NFL combine and only recently showed his skills for NFL teams in a workout on the Illinois campus.
Was his size a problem? While his quickness and motor have always been considered assets, there has been some concern about his ability to hold up against the run game. The worry is that offensive lines will be able to push around the 6-foot-2, 304-pound Newton. I’m not telling him that to his face.
Did the emphasis on offense in the draft cost him? There wasn’t a defender selected until the 15th pick, an unprecedented nod toward the offense.
For most draft gurus, Newton was ranked behind Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II. The Longhorns star is joining former Illini Devon Witherspoon in Seattle as the 16th pick. No other defensive tackles were picked in the first round and only nine of the 32 selections in the opening round were spent on defense.
What’s next
So Illinois must wait until at least 2026 to have first-round picks in consecutive drafts. That double was last accomplished in 2011-12.
Witherspoon, who had a banner rookie season with the Seahawks, set Illinois up for a two-year run by going No. 5 last April in Kansas City, Mo.
I thought for most of the year, I would be going to Detroit for the draft. But Newton chose not to attend and instead had a gathering in Orlando, Fla. That decision appears to be a wise one by the Florida native. Nobody wants to be the guy waiting in the green room to hear his name called late. If at all.
The Commanders are going to get a fired-up Newton. He will use the first-round snub as “tackling fuel” (thanks “Bobby Boucher.”)
Newton will be greeted in Washington by former teammate Quan Martin. The defensive back was a second-round pick by the Commanders last season and had a stellar debut.
Former Illini offensive lineman Nick Allegretti just signed a lucrative deal with the team and will start at guard.
Honestly, when a player is selected, it doesn’t really matter other than the initial money they receive. That’s what the second contract is all about.
The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, is full of players who were selected after the first round. Honored second-rounders include tight end John Mackey, wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, defensive end Ted Henricks, quarterback Brett Favre and defensive end Michael Strahan.
Among former Illini, prominent second-rounders the past three decades include Martin, longtime pro defender Jihad Ward, Super Bowl winning defensive back Tavon Wilson, cookie magnate Jeff Allen, pride of Champaign running back Mikel Leshoure, more Super Bowl winners Eugene Wilson, Kelvin Hayden and Robert Holcombe and tight end Ken Dilger.
Most of those guys had lengthy NFL stays, setting themselves up for successful post-football lives.
That is the hope for Newton, who from the day he joined Lovie Smith’s team was a treat to deal with. Receiver Isaiah Williams was a clearcut choice for the inaugural Loren Tate Media Award, which goes to the Illinois player who most helps the media do its job. But Newton was on my ballot and that of many other voters.
The media covering the Commanders are about to get another talker That’s a good thing, by the way.
He’ll be back
Newton has some immediate work to do. His foot is still healing, so he will follow the advice of his new team. And he will soon report to rookie camp.
Based on his time in C-U, Newton will be good teammate and an even better citizen.
Football is now a full-time job. One that he will enjoy. No classes to attend. Just learn the playbook, build up his strength and endurance and get ready for 17 Sundays in the fall and winter. The closest the Commanders get to C-U in 2024 is Cincinnati. Road trip?
The team went 4-13 last season, but there will be plenty of excitement with the addition of Daniels at quarterback.
My guess is Newton will stop at Memorial Stadium and the Smith Center when he can this upcoming season. He has built close relationships with coach Bret Bielema, defensive line coach Terrance Jamison and other staff members.
He will be missed. And hard to replace. There is not another Newton on the roster, though Gabe Jacas has some Newton-esque qualities.
As a consensus All-American in 2023 and a second-teamer in 2022, Newton will someday return to campus when he is selected for the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame. A backlog of athletes deserve consideration, but Newton and Witherspoon are zooming up the list.
The Commanders will have a new set of fans in Champaign-Urbana, hoping to see Newton have the same kind of impact as past Illini defensive greats.
He is going to make the roster. The Commanders just spent a second-round pick on him. The rest is up to Newton.
