As we do every offseason, we'll be comparing each of the Philadelphia Eagles' rookies to current or former NFL players. Today we'll finish out the series and find a comp for seventh-round edge defender Keyshawn James-Newby.
EAGLES ROOKIE COMP SERIES
Makai Lemon | Eli Stowers | Markel Bell | Cole Payton
Micah Morris | Cole Wisniewski | Uar Bernard
James-Newby is an undersized (6'2, 238) edge rusher who ran a 4.53 40 at New Mexico's pro day. He had a productive college career, with 33.5 career sacks, including 10.5 in 2024 and 9 in 2025. A highlight reel:
James-Newby is pretty far down the depth chart among the Eagles' edge rushers, but plays with great effort and a non-stop motor, which means he'll have a chance to make the roster as a special teams contributor.
The player he reminds me of is another Eagles seventh-round pick in Patrick Johnson. A comparison:
Measurables Keyshawn James-Newby Patrick Johnson
Height 6'2 6'2
Weight 238 240
Wingspan 77 3/4" 77 3/4"
40-yard dash 4.53 4.66
10-yard split 1.63 1.62
Vertical jump 33 1/2" 35"
Broad jump 120" 119"
Bench press 21 reps 16 reps
The Eagles like taking fliers on undersized edge defenders late in drafts. Recent example include James-Newby, Johnson, Antwaun Powell-Ryland, and Casey Toohill. James-Newby and Johnson have a nearly identical height, weight, and wingspan, and their athletic measurables are also very close.
Like James-Newby, Johnson, who played at Tulane, was a productive college player with two 10+ sack seasons (10 in 2020, 10.5 in 2018) in a non-power conference who had to compete to make rosters each season via special teams.