Quarterback Jamie Newman Scouting Report: 2021 NFL Draft analysis
By John Newman
2019 Wake Forest
In 2019, Newman was slated to be the starting quarterback for the Demon Deacons after edging out Hartman in the preseason quarterback competition. With his strong finish in the 2018 season, many hoped Newman might be able to lead the team past ACC Atlantic division rivals and College Football powerhouse Clemson. Or at the very least, give Clemson a run for their money in the division.
The 2019 season ended up being a mixed bag for Wake Forest, as they finished the season with an 8-5 record. The team started off strong, as Newman led the team to a 38-35 victory over Utah State in the season opener. Newman blew off the doors to the 2019 season, with 401 passing yards, three touchdowns and a completion percentage of 72.3, according to Sports Reference.
The next game, Newman threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns, this time with an even better completion percentage of 77.8. Sure, it was against Rice. But the first two games of the season showed Newman had the ability to lead a high-scoring offense to victory. With the team starting off so strong, many wondered if Newman could muscle his way into the 2020 NFL Draft discussion with a strong showing in 2019.
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Unfortunately for Newman and the Demon Deacons, those first two games served as the metaphorical high-water mark for their 2019 season. While Wake Forest would start the season with a 7-1 record, they would go on to finish the season losing four of their last five games, including a humiliating defeat to Clemson, 52-3. It appeared that Newman would have to work on impressing NFL general managers in 2020 if he hoped to get drafted early in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Despite finishing the season so poorly, Newman was able to consistently put up solid numbers for Wake Forest in 2019. True, he had two really bad games against Clemson and Syracuse in 2019, where he passed for just 111-yards between the two games. But Newman was able to finish the season with 2,868 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, while ranking second in the ACC (20th in the NCAA) in total offense, according to the Wake Forest team page.
How will this affect the 2020 season with Georgia? Can he clean up these issues before the 2021 NFL Draft? To answer these questions, we’ll have to explore Newman’s style as a quarterback and break down some of his best (and worst) tendencies on the field.