BREAKING: Greg Newsome II selected 26th overall by the Cleveland Browns in 2021 NFL Draft

Just 13 picks after fellow Wildcat Rashawn Slater heard his name called, Greg Newsome II has been selected 26th overall by the Cleveland Browns. It is the first time in history that two Northwestern football players have been selected in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Newsome was originally recruited to Northwestern in 2017 as a three-star safety, but soon switched his positions to cornerback. Newsome had a plethora of offers coming out of high school, with schools from every Power Five conference aside from the PAC-12 offering him. He officially enrolled at Northwestern on Jan. 10, 2018.

Newsome saw a decent amount of playing time his freshman year, appearing in six games and recording 23 tackles and four pass deflections. He truly began to excel in his sophomore season, where he had nine pass deflections and one fumble recovery. It wasn’t until this past year, however, that scouts really took notice of Newsome, and his impressive play sent him flying up draft boards.

Newsome is the fourth cornerback to be selected in tonight’s draft, behind only South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn, who was selected by eighth overall by the Carolina Panthers, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II, who was taken by the Denver Broncos at ninth overall, and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, who went 22nd overall to the Tennessee Titans. Coming into tonight’s draft, most mocks had Newsome as CB3 behind Surtain and Horn, with Farley coming in close behind at CB4.

Tonight is a night many Northwestern fans won’t soon forget. Congratulations to Greg Newsome II and his family!