Philadelphia Eagles: Jamie Newman shouldn’t have gone undrafted
Heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, there were two schools of thought on how the Philadelphia Eagles should address the quarterback position: Either draft one in the first round to compete for the starting spot or pick a developmental arm in the middle rounds to grow behind Jalen Hurts.
In theory, it made sense, right? If the franchise didn’t believe in Hurts, they owed it to everyone involved to land a better option, and even if they loved the former Oklahoma signal-caller, they’d be foolish to go into 2021 with an old as dirt Joe Flacco – actual age: 36 – and Khalil Tate as their QB3 a few months removed from a failed move to wide receiver.
As it turns out, Howie Roseman found a third path in his mildly controversial decision to bypass the QB position altogether with all nine of their picks and still somehow found a way to leave the weekend with an intriguing young arm to potentially develop over the next three seasons.
Jamie Newman, welcome to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Can the Philadelphia Eagles unlock Jamie Newman’s once-heralded upside?
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Once upon a time, Jamie Newman was considered one of the more exciting quarterback prospects in the nation.
Though the start to his college career was anything but ordinary, as he initially committed to Wake Forrest as a three-star recruit over interest from Air Force, Boston College, and Duke, Newman played well enough over his final two seasons with the Demon Deacons to earn the moniker of “top transfer in college football” according to Joel Klatt of Fox Sports. Newman parlayed that interest into a sweet graduate transfer role with the Georgia Bulldogs, where he was expected to replace drafted quarterback Jake Fromm in the starting lineup.
Had that worked out, Newman would have surely watched his draft value skyrocket and have surely found himself as one of the 259 players selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, but unfortunately, that isn’t how things shook out for the North Carolinian pass thrower.
No, Newman opted to opt-out of the 2020 NCAA season without so much as taking a regular season snap with the Bulldogs and decided to roll with the game he’d already placed on tape in the draft instead of returning to school – Georgia or otherwise – for his senior season.
But hey, it’s cool. While I’m sure Newman would have loved to be drafted even in the seventh round, as it would have provided him with a four-year contract and a bit more guaranteed money, lading with a team like the Philadelphia Eagles who aren’t 100 percent committed to their franchise quarterback financially or otherwise is about as good an outcome as he could have hoped for.
Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, Newman tossing for 3,959 yards and 35 touchdowns versus only 16 interceptions while picking up an additional 826 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground as a runner. He threw the ball down the field well from both a clean pocket and from under pressure on the run and remained a viable weapon to run should the receiver not be open down the field. While his reading of the field could use some work, Newman throws a pretty deep ball, guides his receivers well, and has enough arm strength to make any throw on the football field.
And now, he’ll be backing up Hurts while trying to unseat Joe Flacco as the team’s QB2 for 2022 and beyond.
With some time back in the building with an actual football team, an atmosphere he hasn’t had since 2019 save a few days at the Senior Bowl, Newman should be able to fix some of the mechanical issues that scouts like Lance Zierlein knocked him for, and maybe even join the likes of Nick Foles, Jeff Garcia, and Kevin Kolb as former Eagles QBs who found starting roles after leaving the City of Brotherly Love, even if none of those stories are what one would call an unquestioned success.
And if not? Well, the Eagles aren’t out a draft pick, a ton of guaranteed money, or really anything but some third/fourth string snaps this summer. They could wait it out, claim another team’s failed prospect off of waivers a la Clayton Thorson‘s trip to the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, and be done with it.
This, my friends, is a pure upside move even if it fails.
Next. Patrick Johnson adds a wrinkle to the 2021 draft class. dark
Had Jamie Newman lit things up at the Senior Bowl, outplaying the likes of Kellen Mond and Mac Jones, maybe he would have been drafted. Had Jamie Newman actually played for Georgia in 2020 and packed even more good tape on top of his Wake Forrest performances, maybe he would have been drafted. But in the NFL, it’s not about how you got to the table, just how much damage you do once you arrive. If the Philadelphia Eagles get pretty much anything out of Newman in 2021, it’ll be all gravy on the poutine that is the 2021 NFL Draft, and if he doesn’t, oh well, on to the next one.