Josh Newton
Cincinnati BengalsModel 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 →
Season Stats · 14 games
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.
Comps
STM Take
First STTM ranking at tier 8 (#72) in year two for a 149th overall 5th-round pick is on the year-two band for Day 3 CB prospects. The TCU-via-Louisiana-Monroe transfer pedigree plus the structural Bengals anchor role give him basic college foundation. The 2026 question is whether Newton crosses into tier 7 territory or whether the role compresses to swing depth.
Newton came out of TCU as the Cincinnati Bengals' 5th-round pick (149th overall) in 2024 after transferring from Louisiana-Monroe. He spent his rookie year as developmental depth before emerging into a rotational role in 2025. His first STTM appearance comes in 2025 at tier 8 (#72), the year-two developmental band for Day 3 CB prospects.
Strengths
- TCU-via-Louisiana-Monroe transfer pedigree plus the 149th overall draft slot gives him basic college foundation.
- Year-two starter snaps for the Bengals at age 23 plus the structural anchor reps gives him the developmental runway.
Concerns
- Single tier 8 finish without prior STTM history caps the long-term projection certainty.
- Cincinnati's broader defensive identity around the Trey Hendrickson contract uncertainty compresses the structural support around Newton.
What to watch: Whether Newton crosses into tier 7 (top 55) in 2026 with the Bengals or whether the role compresses to swing depth.