No-Go For Joe?

By: Sean McLean

Posted: 5/3/07

Is this for real? Did it really not happen, or did I just skip his name on the list of 255 NFL players selected last weekend?

All of Beaver Nation is probably with me on this subject of controversy. How the hell did Jonas Newton, one of the top tight ends in the country by numerous publications, end up getting passed up by every NFL team last weekend at the NFL draft?

It boggles the mind. It's insane in the membrane. In layman's terms, it just doesn't make any real sense. How a guy who has great hands, NFL size, good blocking skills, and solid speed and strength, not get a phone call from anyone.

From the start, I knew that it was pretty much inevitable that Newton was going to be taken on the second day. When you are rated in the bottom half of the top 10 at the tight end position, you are pretty much bound for the fast paced Sunday schedule, where it seems as though those last four rounds go by quicker than Sabby's 40-yard dash time. Round 4, nothing. Round 5, nada. Round 6, oh good, Adam Koets heading to the G-Men, but Newton still on the board. Last chance in round 7…maybe Mr. Irrelevant…wow. Pure amazement.

What makes it more amazing is the number of tight ends that did get drafted. By the 255th and final pick of the draft, 13 guys had a spot on a roster. Two of those guys were from Northwest schools, and neither were a Division I-A program.

Doesn't this make you feel sick to your stomach? It makes you wonder how none of these scouts who saw his performance at the Sun Bowl said, "this kid has some wicked skills."

Sure, there were some reasons behind why Newton didn't find a new home and cash in on a life in the pros on draft weekend. That injury he suffered before his junior season was a pretty hardcore one, and sure, maybe he was trying to so-call 'play it safe' at times his senior year and not get hurt again.

I don't know, you'll have to ask him, but doesn't it make you wonder why teams take guys that play at a Division III-school in Whitworth rather than a guy that saw real college football competition. That is no disrespect to Michael Allen or Kevin Boss from Western Oregon, those guys certainly have something going for them if they can play at that level and still somehow obtain attention from pro scouts. But you would think that these talent evaluators would take into consideration that Division I-A football players make up about 95% of the NFL. That's where the real competition is, and Newton played against teams like USC, LSU, and Notre Dame, all programs filled with pro-caliber talent.

It just goes to show that one glitch in your resume can have a lasting effect on your chance of getting selected. Newton's injuries probably proved to be the reason, all the way to the point where no one wanted him.

And then there are the guys that shouldn't have been drafted. I really hate the fact that you can be the sixth wide receiver on your school's depth chart, but with a good nine-yard cone drill can be a fifth round choice. Look at former Stanford quarterback Trent Edwards. The guy was simply a highly touted high school prospect that was hurt the entire time he was with the Cardinal. And when he was healthy, he was a complete non-factor, hence his team's four losing seasons when he was there. Despite this, Edwards was a first day draft pick, and two other teammates of his were taken.

So if Stanford has more picks than we do this year, how come they only won one game last year? There has to be some loopholes here somewhere! I'm losing it!

Well, it all comes back to my point in my column last week. Former OSU football players getting selected late or not at all, and still manage to find a home and being an impact player. Here we are again ladies and gentleman with Newton. Teams passing on him to take a guy that had a good 40-time. I mean, how do you think Jordan Kent got drafted?

That is how the NFL has become in this modern era. Where college statistics and productivity are being replaced by guys that hardly smell the turf, but are freaks of nature athletically. So he can run a sub 4.3 40-yard time or jump 38 inches, big freaking deal. The real question is, has he ever caught a football or made a tackle, or actually played football longer then two years (cough), Jordan Kent. Can you see the NFL in 10 years being a bunch of guys that don't even know how to play the game? It's a funny visual, but also a scary one in that regard.

The good news is with Mr. Newton is that he has a little more motivation now to prove the naysayers wrong. He's also on a team where they have a starter who is now in his 13th season. Dare I say…has-been? Joe has a great chance and I hope he makes Seattle or another team. The ultimate would be Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren watching him in practice and saying to the coaches, "this kid is good, how the freak did no one drafted him?"

We may never find the real answer to that dilemma, but when Newton makes a team, he will be the first to say, "I told you so." And believe me, he won't be the first nor last Beaver to say that to an NFL G.M. or coach.