The Barometer Online

Issue date: 5/3/07 Section: Sports

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.

Continued...

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