The Colts were one of several teams on hand as Illinois defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton held his Pro Day on Tuesday, according to Jordan Schultz.

Newton did not work out at the NFL Combine after having foot surgery in January that he is now fully healed from.

Official testing numbers from Newton at his Pro Day have not yet been disclosed. What we do know is that he measured in at 6-2 – 304 pounds and has just under 33-inch arms.

Schultz would note, however, that Newton had an impressive showing at the Pro Day, with him showcasing “elite explosion and power.”

Newton, a consensus All-American in 2023, put together a dominant career at Illinois, leaving his mark on both the run and passing games.

During his time in college, he played 2,412 total snaps. Over the last two years, in particular, 492 of them have come lined up in the B-gap and 865 at defensive end.

Rushing the passer, Newton totaled a whopping 102 pressures between 2022 and 2023, along with 12 sacks. This past season, he would rank eighth among all interior defenders in pass rush win rate.

Against the run, Newton had the second-highest PFF grade in 2022 and ranked 31st out of 200 eligible defenders in 2023, along with ranking eighth in run-stop rate as well.

For more on Newton, here is what Lance Zierlein of NFL.com had to say in his pre-draft report. Also of note, Zierlein has Newton’s NFL comp as Javon Hargrave.

“Active interior defender with the potential to build on his disruptive production in college. Newton’s size and length don’t stand out, but he has shown a consistent ability to gain extension and set edges against bigger opponents. Newton is clever in setting up blockers and then beating them with sudden hand usage and foot quickness as both a run defender and a pass rusher. He’s strong enough to hold the point, but he’s not going to overwhelm NFL guards with force or power. His skill level and athleticism should create additional playmaking opportunities for him as a three-down 3-technique with early starting potential.”

On the surface, this looks like an instance where the Colts were more so doing their due diligence.

For one, between re-signing Grover Stewart and extending DeForest Buckner, along with signing Raekwon Davis as an outside free agent, the Colts have their interior defensive line core under contract for the next few seasons.

Now, that isn’t to say they couldn’t boost the overall depth, where there are some unknowns between Taven Bryan, Eric Johnson, and Adetomiwa Adebawore, but the Colts have much more pressing needs to tackle in the first round.

On top of that, unless the Colts were to trade back, Newton isn’t projected to go in the top half of the first round.

On Daniel Jeremiah’s big board, Newton is the second-ranked interior defender and the 32nd-ranked prospect overall.