CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It didn’t take long for Greg Newsome II to feel at home after he answered his phone Thursday night.
After nerves began to build as he remained on the board it finally rang.
The Browns were on the other end to make him the No. 26 pick in the Draft, adding the Northwestern product to a rebuilt defense that is being counted on to help push the Browns closer to a Super Bowl.
“I am trying to be a game-changer and being able to change the momentum of the game entirely,” Newsome said Friday during an introductory Zoom video conference.
Newsome established himself as a shutdown corner for the Wildcats in three seasons. Last season he was among the best in college football at preventing catches, but the interceptions lacked, a point he responded to Friday in humorous fashion.
“A lot of people say my hands are bricks, which is not true at all,” Newsome said. “I am going to tell you, I can catch the football.
I played receiver my whole career. I had a bunch of picks in high school, but for some reason, I just was not getting them in college. I am going to turn that around.”
He’s already hard at work preparing himself to make an impact in his first NFL season.
“There are some things I am doing right now in this offseason to help me get better at some things and get better at playing the deep ball,” Newsome said. “I am just trying to perfect my craft just so when I get here to Cleveland, I am not just getting pass breakups.”
Newsome is ready to take on the best the NFL has to offer and in Cleveland he’ll get to work against two of the best during practice in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.
“Honestly, I am looking forward to going against those guys,” Newsome said. “Iron sharpens iron, and at practice is where you are going to get better.”
Following his selection, his phone blew up with notifications from his new teammates and fans on social media.
The outpouring of posts touched him.
“Before I got drafted to Cleveland, I always knew that the Dawg Pound was it, but after I got drafted and I see the support from the fans is just amazing honestly,” Newsome said. “I am honestly ready right now. I wish we could play a game right now and have all the fans there and they can support me and things like that and support this team. I am so ready to give it my all for these fans.
“Obviously, with my teammates, just some of the guys reaching out to me, whether that was text message or quoting me on Twitter or something like that, that just shows the brotherhood of this team. I have yet to meet any of them personally, but as soon as I got drafted, they were welcoming me with open arms already so I just can’t wait to be a part of this organization.”
Linebacker Anthony Walker, a Northwestern alum who signed with the Browns this offseason, told Newsome he was coming to Cleveland in the days leading up to the draft.
“He told me before the Draft, he was like, ‘Hey bro, you are going to Cleveland,’” Newsome said. “I was like, ‘OK, like you cannot really guarantee that I am going to Cleveland.’ When I got that call from Cleveland, it was just so exciting to be a part of this organization.”
Newsome was the second Northwestern player to be selected in the opening round Thursday night. The Big 12 conference didn’t have a single selection.
It’s quite the development for the program.
“It says that we are not just an academic institute but we produce players as well,” Newsome said. “That is something that we have been trying to tell the world for a while now. People always when they think of Northwestern, they just think of smart athletes who do not have instincts and do not have the ability to play at the next level at a very elite level. I am just so proud that we are able to do this for this university. Now recruits will be able to finally realize that they can get a top-10 academic path but also they can get to the NFL at a very elite level.”
