Born on May 18, 2000, Gregory Newsome II plays cornerback for the National Football League (NFL) Cleveland Browns in American football. In the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, he was selected by the Browns while playing college football at Northwestern.
For his final year of high school, Newsome attended Glenbard North High School in Carol Stream, Illinois, before moving to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. He committed to play college football at Northwestern University.
Over the course of three years at Northwestern, Newsome racked up 71 tackles and one interception.[3] He guided the Wildcats to two Big Ten championship games while starting 18 games.[4][5] The Athletic selected him an All-American in 2020 while he was a junior.[6] He declared for the NFL Draft in 2021 following that season.
The Cleveland Browns chose Newsome with the 26th overall choice in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft on April 29, 2021.[11] With the selection of Newsome, Northwestern has two first-round picks in the NFL draft for the first time since Rashawn Slater was selected 13th overall. In the draft, he was selected as the fourth cornerback.[12] Newsome signed a $12.75 million, four-year rookie contract with Cleveland on July 24, 2021.[13] In his 12 games as a rookie, he started every one of them. He has nine passes defensed and 37 total tackles.[14] He made 15 appearances in the 2022 season, starting every one of them. In all, he recorded 42 tackles,.5 sacks, and six passes defensed.
Over the course of three years at Northwestern, Newsome racked up 71 tackles and one interception.[3] He guided the Wildcats to two Big Ten championship games while starting 18 games.[4][5] The Athletic selected him an All-American in 2020 while he was a junior.[6] He then entered the 2021 NFL Draft following that season.