Dazz Newsome 2021 NFL Draft Overview
Position: Wide receiver
Height: 5’-10”
Weight: 190 pounds
School: North Carolina
Dazz Newsome 2021 NFL Draft Profile
After a successful college career at North Carolina, wide receiver Dazz Newsome hopes to take his career to the next level in the 2021 NFL Draft. Newsome wasn’t able to repeat his breakout 2019, but he still had a solid season. Appearing in 685 snaps (677 of which came in the slot), the North Carolina product finished the season with 54 receptions on 69 targets for 684 yards and six touchdowns.
Newsome originally entered the college football ranks as a three-star recruit. Following an impressive high school career that saw him play running back and receiver, Newsome transitioned into a full-time receiver at the NCAA level. In 2018, Newsome recorded 44 receptions for 506 yards and two touchdowns on 66 targets.
The best year of Newsome’s career came during the 2019 season. Becoming a full part of the offense, the slot receiver finished the season with 72 receptions for 1,018 yards and 10 touchdowns. All of these were career-highs, along with his impressive 14.1 yards per reception.
Strengths
- Shifty player that can make defenders miss in the open field;
- Speed variation on routes allows him to confuse defenders and create separation;
- Breaks more tackles than your average 5’-10” receiver
- Gets open deep and is better than you’d expect on contested catches;
- Won’t shy away from contact and can absorb big hits in the middle of the field;
- Special teams potential, including some punt return work.
Weaknesses
- Atrocious hands – drops way too many passes and lets the ball hit him in the chest;
- Only runs a few routes and will get figured out by NFL cornerbacks;
- Unremarkable route runner – feet need to be quicker given his limited skill set;
- Exclusively a slot receiver;
- Most of his 2019 breakout came via schemed slot targets;
- Pedestrian collegiate production and a late declare.
NFL Comparison: Blair White
Teams With Need At Position: New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers
Projection: 6th/7th Round
Bottom Line on Dazz Newsome
Players like Dazz Newsome are not that uncommon in today’s NFL, and he will face an uphill battle to be anything more than a depth option in any given passing attack. He does have some NFL traits, as he’s great at both making men miss in the open field, and shedding tackles. He plays bigger than his size, as he is able to overcome larger cornerbacks and win contested situations.
However, the positives end there, and that probably won’t be enough for him to do anything at the NFL level. The biggest issue is his hands, as he drops way too many passes. He struggles to beat man coverage, which means he’ll exclusively play the slot at the next level. What’s more, he has a limited route tree and the routes he does run could use more refinement.
If Dazz Newsome is ever going to be a legitimate NFL receiver, then he’ll need to spend some time ironing out the weak parts of his game. If he wants to stick on a roster as a rookie, he’ll need to do it on special teams. Newsome has the tools to be one of the NFL’s better returners and could make a living in that part of the game.
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