Photo: All-Pro Reels, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons²

Jer'Zhan Newton

Defensive Tackle, Washington Commanders · #95.

Player facts

Team: Washington Commanders
Position: Defensive Tackle
Number: 95
Born: Aug 31, 2002 (age 24)
Birthplace: St. Petersburg, FL, USA
Height: 6' 2"
Weight: 295 lbs
College: Illinois
Experience: 3 seasons
Status: Day-To-Day

Stats

2026 Stats

	TOT	SOLO	AST	SACK	FF	FR	YDS	INT	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG	PD	STF	STFYDS	KB
Regular Season	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Career	82	40	42	7	2	1	2	0	0	0.0	0	0	2	11.5	12	1

About

Jer'Zhan "Johnny" Newton (jer-ZAHN; born August 31, 2002) is an American professional football defensive tackle for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini, where he was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and earned consensus All-American honors in 2023. Newton was selected by the Commanders in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Jer'Zhan Newton, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Newton was born on August 31, 2002, in St. Petersburg, Florida. He attended and played football at Clearwater Central Catholic High School in Clearwater, Florida, where he recorded 244 tackles and 24 sacks. He originally committed to play college football for the Maryland Terrapins before switching to the Illinois Fighting Illini at the University of Illinois.

College career

As a true freshman for the Illinois Fighting Illini in 2020, Newton played in all eight games with two starts and had 23 tackles and 1.5 sacks. In 2021, he started 11 of 12 games, recording 50 tackles and 3.5 sacks. Newton returned to Illinois in 2022. Newton declared for the 2024 NFL draft following the 2023 season, where he was named a consensus All-American and the Big 10's Nagurski–Woodson Defensive Player of the Year. He finished his career with 18 sacks, tying Moe Gardner for the most for an Illinois defensive tackle.

Personal life

Newton has four brothers, Jervon, Jerquan, Jerjuan, and Jershaun. Jerjuan ranks within the top ten in career touchdown receptions for the Toledo Rockets. His cousin Pro Wells played tight end for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL) in the early 2020s.

From Wikipedia’s article on Jer'Zhan Newton, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article.¹