INDIANAPOLIS — Notre Dame safety Brandon Joseph would love to be reunited with cornerback Greg Newsome II. He’s also well aware the Browns need a free safety after deciding to cut veteran John Johnson III.
“That’s my best friend,” Joseph said of Newsome on Thursday at the scouting combine. “I told him to put a good word in for me.”
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Joseph shared a secondary with Newsome at Northwestern before transferring to Notre Dame and has asked for advice during the draft process. Newsome was the No. 26 pick in 2021, and Joseph is expected to be a Day 2 selection.
“He knows the standard that we played to at that time and he said just never lose that,” Joseph said. “At Northwestern, man, Greg was the start of something great. Greg and Rashawn (Slater), that was the standard that they have over there. He said just never lose what we have over there, never lose that mindset, never lose that grit that you got from Northwestern.”
Former Northwestern and Notre Dame safety Brandon Joseph on good friend and #Browns CB Greg Newsome II pic.twitter.com/IWUsWxqUw0
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) March 2, 2023
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Slater, the No. 13 pick of the Chargers, and Newsome made Northwestern history by being first-round selections in the same year.
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With safety Grant Delpit expected to spend most of his time at the line of scrimmage, the Browns are looking for someone to play in the deep middle. Joseph said that’s his favorite spot.
“To be deep and see a team want to throw it deep,” he said.
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He spent three years at Northwestern before switching to Notre Dame for 2022. He totaled 10 interceptions, including six in 2020, and met with the Browns informally. He knows how dangerous he and Newsome are when on the field together.
“Me and him were the best of the country whenever we were doing it together, so I’ve been talking to him a lot,” Joseph said.
He’s not the only Northwestern player to check in with Newsome.
Defensive lineman Adetomiwa Adebawore said he reaches out whenever he has questions.
“The mindset you have to have and attitude you have to have,” he said of Newsome’s advice.
The Browns also need help at defensive tackle.
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YOU’RE MY INSPIRATION
Pro Bowl defensive end Myles Garrett is a popular study subject for the draft’s pass rushers.
“I’ve been watching him for years,” Clemson’s Myles Murphy said.
“He’s very fluid with his moves,” LSU’s Ali Gaye said. “For a big guy like him to be bending and moving like that with that speed, it’s something that I wanted to put in my game as well. I respect his game a lot and I’ve studied him from the moment he stepped into the league.”
PRIDE AND JOY
For Ohio State defensive end Zach Harrison, one moment stood tallest from his Buckeyes career.
“I’d probably say my biggest accomplishment there was just being voted captain,” he said. “That’s something I’m going to have on my resume for the rest of my life. That was voted on by my peers. I’m really honored to be able to do that. And just all my time on Ohio State, I loved every second of it, the whole journey.”
He’s from Columbus and is looking forward to moving away from home for the first time.
“I love Columbus,” he said. “But I’m ready to spread my wings and get away from home and plant my roots somewhere else.”
LACE ’EM UP
Illinois safety Sydney Brown is from Canada, so it makes sense he and his twin brother wore ice skates as kids. His mom was a figure skater, so they came with something different than the ones used in hockey.
“We did some figure skating here and there,” Brown said. “My mom put the skates on us with the toe picks and all that. It’s crazy, 7-year-old boys and toe picks. It’s not a good look.”
He could do spins but stopped before the figure skating got more serious. He wanted to play hockey but said it was expensive.
AGE IS ONLY A NUMBER
With Andrew Berry as general manager, the Browns have mostly drafted players 22 or younger, especially with their early picks. They like the developmental aspect and that the players will be younger when their rookie contracts expire.
“Perhaps more is made of the age considerations than maybe how we actually think about it,” he said. “We really do try and treat each prospect on the individual merits of their career. I’m not going to suggest that that’s not part of the equation for certain players, but just because a player is older who’s coming out doesn’t necessarily mean they have a lower ceiling. And just because a player is younger coming out doesn’t necessarily mean that they have more potential.”
