Dazz
Newsome.
Dazz
Newsome.
North Carolina· 5'10"· 190 lb· 4.59s 40
"A 5'10' North Carolina slot with elite return production and a 2020 breakout in Sam Howell's offense, but a 4.06 RAS pointed to a Day 3 gadget-slot role rather than a lead-slot solution."Pre-draft read
Compact slot receiver with precise routes and short-area quickness. Achieves early separation via dynamic release strategies: head-and-shoulder fakes, hard jab steps, and decisive stems. This allows him to open quickly on option routes, sit-drags, and shallow crossers against zone, securing catches through contact on quick-game concepts.
YAC ability comes from vision and immediate second-move quickness in confined spaces, not breakaway speed; he evades initial defenders but rarely generates long gains. Against off-coverage, he comfortably uses vertical stems to create intermediate throwing windows despite a modest catch radius, though prolonged press impedes his release. Contributes as a patient, decisive punt returner with functional lateral quickness.
The West Coast timing offense, a short-to-intermediate passing game that uses route combinations and spacing to generate quick throws and YAC opportunities.
Dazz Newsome projects as a reliable slot receiver with immediate impact as a punt returner, offering a high floor as a dependable pass-catcher but a limited ceiling. He could be a viable #3 or #4 option.
The Air Raid offense, due to its emphasis on vertical shots and the need for receivers to win consistently further downfield, would not maximize his potential.
Newsome's excellent route detail, reliable hands, and knack for winning early make him a strong candidate for a slot position in a possession-based passing game.
Dazz Newsome NFL Draft Tape | North Carolina WR
Pre-draft cut-up: slot releases, option routes, and return work against ACC coverage.
Dazz Newsome 2020 Regular Season Highlights
Senior breakout with Sam Howell — 54 catches, 684 yards, 6 touchdowns.
North Carolina WR Dazz Newsome — 2019 Season Highlights
Junior tape showing route detail from the slot and punt-return production.
Newsome projects as a dependable slot receiver with immediate value on special teams as a punt returner. His game is fundamentally built on route nuance and natural hands, providing a consistent target underneath for any offense. While his athletic profile is considered modest, his on-field quickness and refined route-running capabilities allow him to create necessary separation against off-coverage.
A four-year contributor at North Carolina, Newsome consistently produced from the slot, culminating in a senior season with 54 catches for 684 yards and 6 touchdowns. He also showcased elite punt-return production, including five career return touchdowns. This consistent usage and high-end return ability provided a clear path to an NFL roster, demonstrating his ability to impact the game in multiple phases.
Evaluators noted his limited catch radius and struggles against press coverage from longer defensive backs as primary concerns. These issues, combined with average athletic testing numbers, characterized him as a specialized slot/returner prospect. The consensus among scouts placed him as a Day 3 selection, and he was ultimately drafted in the sixth round by the Chicago Bears.
- 01
Live release package
Uses head-and-shoulder fakes, hard jab steps, and clean footwork to beat off-coverage and win the top of stems on option routes.
- 02
Reliable hands
Consistently plucks the ball away from his frame on quick-game and intermediate throws, finishing through contact at the catch point.
- 03
Route detail from the slot
Shows nuanced route work, selling vertical stems and dropping his hips effectively into breaks to separate late on choice concepts.
- 04
Punt-return traits
Demonstrated real special-teams value with five career return touchdowns, exhibiting a patient and decisive setup style.
- 05
Four-year ACC production
Compiled 149 catches, 1,878 yards, and 15 receiving touchdowns at UNC, showing sustained productivity, not a one-year spike.
- 01
Modest athletic profile
A 4.06 RAS score reflected average speed, jumps, and agility, capping his projection as an athletic separation prospect.
- 02
Limited catch radius
His compact frame and unremarkable length mean throws outside his immediate body framework are often difficult to secure.
- 03
Struggles vs. press with length
Longer, patient corners can jam his outside release, stalling his stem before he can effectively initiate his route.
- 04
Not a true vertical threat
Rarely separates consistently on true nine routes; his game is concentrated on the intermediate route menu, narrowing his role.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.59sp50
- Vertical
- 34inp50
- Broad jump
- 121inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.38sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.38sp50
- Bench
- 12repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | North Carolina | 12 | 18 | 227 | 0 |
| 2018 | North Carolina | 11 | 44 | 506 | 2 |
| 2019 | North Carolina | 13 | 72 | 1018 | 10 |
| 2020 | North Carolina | 11 | 54 | 684 | 6 |
| Career | — | 47 | 188 | 2435 | 18 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Nuanced college slot with modest testing who bounced through practice squads without cementing a role — the exact Day-3 slot outcome the board was penciling in.
Undersized slot with return value who carved out a real snap share once the offense scripted him touches — realistic best case if a play-caller committed to the role.
Special-teams-first receiver whose offensive snaps never stuck; the fall-off path if the return job doesn't open and the offense doesn't script slot work.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Dazz Newsome came out of North Carolina as a four-year contributor who broke out as a senior in 2020 with 54 catches, 684 yards and 6 touchdowns from the slot in Sam Howell's offense, on top of a career punt-return résumé that included five return touchdowns. He measured 5'10'', 190 pounds and posted a 4.59 forty, 34-inch vertical, 121-inch broad, 7.38 three-cone and 4.38 shuttle at the UNC pro day — a 4.06 RAS profile that framed him as a route-and-hands slot rather than an athletic riser. Board consensus was sixth-round slot/returner.
NFL fit — Chicago. Chicago used pick 221 on Newsome as a developmental slot with a clear return path, betting that the release package, hands and punt-return traits could carry a Day-3 roster spot on a rebuilding depth chart. The theory made sense on paper — a specific slot niche plus special-teams value — but the fit assumed health and a specific offensive role that was never really scripted for him.
Retrospective. Newsome fractured his collarbone at rookie minicamp before the 2021 season even started, missed the on-ramp, and never got a foothold on the Bears' active roster; Chicago waived him in 2022, and short practice-squad stints elsewhere did not produce meaningful regular-season snaps. Measured against slot — a serviceable slot/returner floor — the outcome landed clearly in the miss column, more injury-and-timing than talent evaluation, but a miss nonetheless.