Growing up in St. Petersburg, FL, Johnny Newton idolized the play of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp. The future Hall of Fame 3-technique was ahead of his time due to his dominance as an interior defensive lineman despite not having the traditional size for the position.
Sapp helped paved the way for the likes of Newton, who's expected to measure in at around Sapp's size of 6-2 and 303 pounds. He might even be shorter and lighter.
Former Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins sure was, and that didn't stop him from following in Sapp's footsteps.
Johnny Newton's admiration for Geno Atkins & great defensive tackles of the past
Newton is considered one of the best defensive linemen in this entire NFL Draft class. That checks out when you're compared to Atkins, who made eight Pro Bowls in 11 seasons with the Bengals.
The comparison makes perfect sense, and it's not something Newton takes lightly.
"Geno Atkins was a dawg," Newton gleefully said. "Everybody knows that. Being compared to NFL greats like that, I take it to heart for sure.
"Just to be mentioned in the same conversation as those guys and I haven't even played an NFL snap yet. It's pretty cool."
Newton also mentioned up Aaron Donald, Grady Jarrett, and Ed Oliver as other defensive tackles he's watched and molded from. The usual suspects for any player built like him.
Atkins came before all of them, like Sapp, and is a player the Bengals have not been able to replace since the the club released him nearly three years ago.
Newton's combination of quickness and strength at the position make him one of the closest prospects to truly emulate Atkins' form in years. If any team knows the impact of a player like him, it's Cincinnati.
Needless to say, Newton would be honored to fill the shoes Atkins once wore.
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