Playing multiple spots, Royce Newman toughened up his game

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According to Ole Miss stats, Newman allowed just one sack in 416 pass-blocking snaps at guard in 2019, and then just two sacks in 430 pass-blocking snaps at tackle in 2020.


"It's a body of work they're looking for," said Bicknell, who's now at Louisville but previously served as an offensive line coach in the NFL with four different clubs from 2009-14. "He was pretty consistent throughout, and I think of him that way, as a consistent guy.


"You know what you're going to get, and he's going to show up every day and do his job. That's also critical for an NFL team."


Over three years with Newman, Bicknell saw a natural athlete, who had played tight end, receiver and defensive end in high school in addition to offensive line, grow into his body and keep getting bigger.


Now 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, Newman certainly looks the part of an NFL lineman, even as the long, flowing hair he hasn't cut for two years has garnered the most attention of his physical characteristics.


At the Packers' rookie minicamp last week, Newman said his biggest early challenge is learning the playbook and all its complexities at the pro level.


"It's way more of a mental game than physical so far," he said. "Just learning the plays, learning how the schemes work and dealing with defensive IDs and fronts. You do a little bit of that in college, but the NFL is just a whole other level."