Jer'Zhan Newton
Washington CommandersUNDERPAIDModel Score
How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →
STM Take
Rookie tier 3 (#20) plus 2024 Outland Trophy plus sophomore tier 2 (#14) puts Newton on the fastest interior defender development pace for a 2nd-round pick. The Illinois Big Ten pedigree plus the 2023 Big Ten DPOY plus the Outland Trophy establishes the highest IDL college pedigree of his class. The 2026 question is whether Newton earns his first Pro Bowl plus crosses into tier 1 territory or whether the developmental climb continues steadily.
Newton came out of Illinois as the Washington Commanders' 2nd-round pick (36th overall) in 2024 after winning the 2023 Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman plus 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The Commanders installed him as a structural starter from his rookie year as part of the rebuild around Jayden Daniels. His STTM career runs tier 3 (#20) rookie to tier 2 (#14) in 2025.
Strengths
- 2023 Outland Trophy plus Big Ten DPOY plus the 36th overall draft slot establishes the highest IDL college pedigree of his class.
- Two straight top-20 STTM finishes (#20 rookie, #14 sophomore) puts him on the fastest IDL development pace for a 2nd-round pick.
Concerns
- Single tier 2 finish without prior tier 1 STTM history caps the long-term projection certainty.
- Washington's broader defensive identity around Jayden Daniels's offensive priority puts continued structural support partly outside Newton's control.
What to watch: Whether Newton earns his first Pro Bowl in 2026 plus crosses into tier 1 (top 10), the threshold for confirming the developmental climb continues.
Jer'Zhan Newton Injury StatusIR
Jer'Zhan Newton is listed on injured reserve (Pectoral), reported Aug 31, with a return date of Nov 23. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.
Draft & College
He went about where consensus had him.
Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.
Of the 320 players taken as a second-rounder between 2012 and 2021, 63% earned a second contract and 58% became starters. The median one started 44 career games.