After being passed over in the NFL Draft, quarterback Jamie Newman presumably has found a preferable landing spot with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Graham High School product and former Wake Forest standout has signed with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent, and the Eagles have room available at quarterback.
Newman has a chance to stick with the team in what perhaps might be considered a developmental role, as the third option behind starter Jalen Hurts and backup Joe Flacco. For the time being, Hurts, Flacco and Newman are the only quarterbacks on the Eagles’ roster.
The 23-year-old Newman participated in the Senior Bowl all-star game in January, after opting out of the last college football season because of COVID-19 concerns. He joined Georgia as a graduate transfer, then eight months later, chose not to play for the Bulldogs about 3½ weeks before their season began.
At that juncture, many draft projections listed the 6-foot-3, 234-pound Newman as a candidate to be taken among the first three rounds, with some even considering him a possible first-round pick.
Analysts viewed his transfer to Georgia and the Southeastern Conference in January 2020 as a path toward expanding his quarterbacking repertoire, and thus enhancing his NFL stock.
“He came in as a developmental guy for us and he got better every year,” Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. “We appreciate everything Jamie did for our program and I know the Philadelphia Eagles are getting a talented player and good person. He’s big, strong, can run and can make every throw.”
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Ultimately, 10 quarterbacks were selected across the NFL Draft’s seven rounds last week:
• Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence (No. 1 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars), BYU’s Zach Wilson (No. 2 pick to the New York Jets), North Dakota State’s Trey Lance (No. 3 pick to the San Francisco 49ers), Ohio State’s Justin Fields (No. 11 pick to the Chicago Bears) and Alabama’s Mac Jones (No. 15 pick to the New Orleans Saints) became first-round choices.
• Florida’s Kyle Trask (second round to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond (third round to the Minnesota Vikings) and Stanford’s Davis Mills (third round to the Houston Texans) went on the second night of the draft.
• Notre Dame’s Ian Book (fourth round to the New Orleans Saints) and Texas’s Sam Ehlinger (sixth round to the Indianapolis Colts) were taken on the draft’s final day.
The eight quarterbacks drafted during the first three rounds marked the most in NFL history.
At Wake Forest in 2019, Newman ranked fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference in passing (2,868 yards) and second in the league in total offense (286.8 yards per game), as the Demon Deacons compiled a record of 8-5 and lost to Michigan State in the Pinstripe Bowl.
Newman threw 26 touchdown passes during the 2019 season, the second-highest output in Wake Forest history, while adding 574 rushing yards and six scores on the ground. He finished with 35 career touchdown passes, the fifth-best total at Wake Forest.
Adam Smith is a sports reporter for the Burlington Times-News and USA TODAY Network. You can reach him by email at asmith@thetimesnews.com or @adam_smithTN on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Times-News: How Graham grad, former Wake Forest QB Jamie Newman fits with the Philadelphia Eagles
