Keyshawn
James-Newby.
Keyshawn
James-Newby.
New Mexico
R7 · #252 · Philadelphia Eagles"A relentless, bendy sub-package rusher in the mold of a young Haason Reddick — undersized on the hoof but able to threaten an offensive tackle's outside shoulder from the first step and finish through contact."Pre-draft read
A wide-nine and rush-linebacker hybrid, this player's value concentrates on obvious passing downs. Their primary trait is get-off: timing the snap aggressively, eating the tackle's cushion before the kick slide is set, then flattening through the arc with genuine ankle flexion. Secondary traits include hand craft, using a long-arm for speed-to-power, a swipe-rip counter when the tackle over-sets, and a late chop to free the outside shoulder.
Eyes and feet stay disciplined against the run. Here, he plays with anticipation, slicing gaps to catch backs behind the line rather than stacking and shedding. He cannot two-gap and gets displaced by long-limbed offensive tackles who land first. Pressures come in bunches, and a high motor keeps back-side chase angles alive.
Keyshawn James-Newby projects as a designated sub-package rusher in a multiple 4-3 or 3-4 scheme that prioritizes speed at the edge and often plays nickel or dime personnel fronts.
Initially, a rotational pass rusher on obvious passing downs with special teams duties; his ceiling is a top sub-package designated pressure player.
He would struggle in a 3-4 two-gap lineman scheme due to his undersized frame and inability to consistently stack and shed.
A scheme that asks him to rush from a wide alignment on passing downs, where his elite get-off and bend can be maximized, and does not require him to be a full-time edge setter would be ideal.
Keyshawn James-Newby | Edge Rusher | 2025 New Mexico Highlights
Full 2025 season cutup from his Mountain West sack-leading year at New Mexico.
Keyshawn James-Newby | Edge | New Mexico - Draft Profile Breakdown
Film-based pre-draft breakdown of his rush plan, bend and run-defense limitations.
Shrine Bowl Coverage: UNM EDGE Keyshawn James-Newby
East-West Shrine Bowl week coverage and interview after his final college season.
This is a designated pressure player and sub-package rusher, whose primary value comes from an elite get-off and developed pass-rush plan from a wide alignment. A team is buying a situational rusher capable of converting speed to power with consistent hand technique, able to affect passing downs immediately while developing a more robust early-down game.
His collegiate journey was a rare ascent from NAIA to FCS, then to FBS. He was productive at every level, leading the Frontier Conference in sacks, then becoming a Buck Buchanan Award finalist and AFCA FCS All-American at Idaho. He capped his career by leading the Mountain West in sacks with 9.0 in his only FBS season, proving his rush productivity translated.
Evaluators consistently liked his burst, bend, and rush plan. However, his roughly 6-2, 238-244 pound frame and 33-inch arms limited his projection as an every-down defensive end. He was a 23-year-old senior, raising questions about his development ceiling. Consensus held him as a Round 7 or priority free agent prospect; Philadelphia ultimately selected him with pick 252.
- 01
Elite get-off
Times snaps aggressively and covers ground before the tackle's second kick step lands, generating one of the highest FBS pressure rates in 2025.
- 02
Genuine bend
Turns the corner with real ankle and hip flexion, flattening to the quarterback's back hip rather than running himself past the pocket.
- 03
Developed rush plan
Long-arm, swipe-rip, and late chop appear on tape with sequencing, a product of four years of accumulated rush reps.
- 04
Backfield disruption
15.0 tackles for loss in 2025 came from slicing gaps and catching backs behind the line, not from cleanup work.
- 05
Proven across levels
Led the Frontier Conference in sacks, was a Buck Buchanan finalist, then led the Mountain West in sacks.
- 01
Frame limitations
Around 6-2 and 238-244 pounds with 33-inch arms, he lacks the mass and length for a base defensive end role.
- 02
Not an edge-setter
Long-limbed tackles who land hands first can wash him down the line; he cannot be trusted to hold the point.
- 03
Age curve
Turned 23 during his final college season, using a bonus NCAA year, which impacts perception of his development ceiling.
- 04
Competition context
Only one FBS season on tape; much of his production came against NAIA and FCS offensive tackles.
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Idaho | 11 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Idaho | 13 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | New Mexico | 13 | 52 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Career | — | 37 | 67 | 14.5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Honors
- Mountain West Conference sack leader in 2025 (9.0)
- PFSN Third Team All-America (2025)
- Buck Buchanan Award finalist, FCS Defensive Player of the Year (2024)
- AFCA FCS All-American and First Team All-Big Sky (2024)
- First-Team All-Frontier Conference at Montana Tech (2022)
- East-West Shrine Bowl invitee (2026)
A late-round Eagles edge who carved out a role through special teams and rotational pass-rush snaps while the frame kept him off early downs.
An undersized edge whose burst and bend eventually turned into double-digit sacks once a staff committed to using him as a designated rusher rather than a base end.
Small-frame college producer whose NFL value never extended beyond core special teams before the roster churn caught up with him.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Every draft class hides a player whose résumé reads like a dare, and in 2026 that player wore No. 1 for New Mexico. Keyshawn James-Newby began at Montana Tech, an NAIA program in Butte, studying engineering and leading the Frontier Conference in sacks as a sophomore. He moved to Idaho and became one of the best defensive players in the FCS, a Buck Buchanan finalist who put three sacks and a forced fumble on an FBS Wyoming offense in 2024 and never let the level of competition explain away his production. Then he made the last jump, to the Mountain West, and led the conference in sacks in his only FBS season. The tape at each stop looks the same: a first step that arrives before the tackle is ready, a corner he can genuinely flatten, and hands that have a plan instead of a hope. His 15.0 tackles for loss in 2025 were not scavenged; he beat blocks into the backfield on a Lobo front that finished inside the top 40 nationally in havoc rate.
What kept him at pick 252 is the part he cannot train away. He measured near 6-2 and 238 pounds with 33-inch arms at the Shrine Bowl, and long, heavy tackles can wash him down the line when they land first. He is not an edge-setter and never will be, which means the early-down role most seventh-rounders use to survive is closed to him. He also turned 23 during his final college season, and the bonus NCAA year that made his New Mexico season possible works against the development curve teams like to imagine. Philadelphia's bet is narrower and more honest than upside: put him on the field on third down, let him rush from a wide alignment where his get-off is the whole point, and use his effort and coverage speed on the four core special teams while he learns NFL protections. If the pressures he generated in college convert at even a modest rate, a roster spot follows. If they do not, he will still be the kind of player a locker room fights to keep, which for a Round 7 edge is not nothing.