Jer'Zhan Newton was never the kind of player who would impress you with raw stats. The Illinois star only had 13 sacks the last two years, or roughly what Laiatu Latu -- the first defender selected in the 2024 NFL Draft -- had per season at UCLA.

In order to get him, they had to wait 10 excruciating picks after Braden Fiske became the fourth D-Tackle to go in five selections. The guy they coveted, Illinois’ Johhny Newton, was too far to go get and was gone by the fourth pick of the day at No. 36.

Illinois football's Jer'Zhan Newton will hear his name called in the 2024 NFL Draft. Here's more on why Newton goes by "Johnny" instead of Jer'Zhan: