One of the top defensive line prospects will indeed be heading to the NFL for the 2024 campaign. Illinois’ defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton told reporters that he intends to declare for the NFL draft.
Per ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, Newton revealed that he won’t be playing in a bowl game if Illinois lands one of the contests. The Illini can become bowl-eligible by beating Northwestern later today. That means today’s game will likely be Newton’s finale college appearance.
“It’s really important for me, trying to get my teammates one more game to play in,” Newton told reporters. “I know a lot of people don’t have careers after this, a lot of people won’t go to the NFL, so just to have people playing one more game together as a unit, seeing my team play, that would be really big for me.”
Newton put himself on the NFL radar following a strong 2022 campaign. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors after finishing the season with 62 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. While his numbers have taken a bit of a dip in 2023, he’s still been productive, compiling 47 stops, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks. The defensive tackle is a candidate for the Nagurski Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top defensive player.
Newton will surely hear his name called during the first round of the 2024 draft, and there’s a chance he pushes himself into the top-10 conversation. In a recent ESPN roundtable, Newton landed as the No. 8 overall prospect in the draft.