Rashawn Slater, Greg Newsome solidify first-round status at Northwestern’s pro day

In the history of the NFL draft, only five players from Northwestern have been selected in the first round: Offensive tackle Fate Echols by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1963, offensive tackle Cas Banaszek by the San Francisco 49ers in 1968, offensive tackle Chris Hinton by the Baltimore Colts in 1983 (as part of the John Elway trade), linebacker Napoleon Harris by the Oakland Raiders in 2002, and defensive end Luis Castillo by the San Diego Chargers in 2005.

In the 2021 draft, it’s entirely possible that two Wildcats will go in the first round: Offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, who’s a virtual slam-dunk to go in the first half of the first round, and cornerback Greg Newsome, who’s been getting more and more traction as one of perhaps five cornerbacks — along with Patrick Surtain II, Caleb Farley, Jaycee Horn, and Asante Samuel Jr. — who could all go in the first 32 picks.

Newsome helped his case in every possible way with his drills, especially the 40 time. Pro day 40s are usually greased-up events, but as Newsome is this fast on the field as well, we’ll go with it.

Last season, per Pro Football Focus, Newsome was targeted on seven passes of 20 or more air yards, and he didn’t give up a single catch. That kind of ability to erase receivers in the deep third of a defense is rather attractive to NFL teams these days.

“There’s really no secrets,” Newsome told me after his drills about his abilities in deep coverage. “It’s just a mentality. I’m a very confident player. If I eliminate those deep routes, I don’t think a team’s going to beat us. Just knowing that, and knowing where my help’s coming from, knowing that my guy on the other side of the field is doing his job, you know, I just don’t want to let the team down. I just trust in my technique, and work it a lot in practice with our DB coach Mack (Matt MacPherson, the team’s Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Backs), so credit to him, as well. We focus a lot on playing through the hands, and things like that. I don’t really know if there’s a secret; you’ve just got to go out there, be confident, and be a dog out there.”

Slater’s dog credentials were firmly established when he negated former Ohio State edge-rusher Chase Young in a 2019 game — the current NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year terrorized most blockers he faced, but when Slater wasn’t playing Young to a draw, he was actually physically dominating the future NFL star.

Slater’s 6-foot-4 stature and 33-inch arms have some analysts thinking he’d have to kick inside to guard at the next level, but the tape shows a player who can dominate outside, and Slater said Tuesday that the NFL teams he’s talked to aren’t making a big deal about arm length. Asked if he would move inside, Slater said very definitively that he believes he’s the best tackle in the draft, but that he would if it helped the team.

“My mindset was, everyone says this is the best guy, so I’m going to go out there and show them that I am,” Slater said of the Young matchup. “I did all my normal film study and preparation, and I just had a plan of attack for the player he is.”

Both Newsome, who played in the 2020 season, and Slater, who opted out, had one shot to show NFL evaluators what they could do on the big stage. Because the scouting combine was canceled due to COVID, this was it. Suffice to say, both players did nothing to hurt their positions, which is why the 2021 draft could be a historic one for their school.