Northwestern cornerback Greg Newsome II has gone from a middle-tier prospect to a potential first-round sleeper this offseason.

Earlier this week, Pro Football Focus’ Mike Renner took that a step forward and said Newsome could be the best cornerback in this class. He put him squarely in the top tier of cornerbacks alongside Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain and South Carolina’s Jaycee Horn.

“To me, [Newsome] is the most scheme-versatile cornerback in this entire draft class,” Renner said. “He has the best feet and the best hips. Very important at cornerback position. Last season, he allowed 12 catches on 34 targets for a total of 93 yards.”

The knock on Newsome is the lack of game tape, particularly last season. Due to the pandemic-shortened schedule and injuries, Newsome played in just six games. However, he didn’t allow a catch in three of those games — including vs. Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.

“He’s not getting a lot of buzz, but this guy could realistically be the best cornerback in this class,” Renner said. “Even from day one, we just didn’t get to see a bunch of him this past year.”

Newsome was a big riser in Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft, getting all the way up to No. 23 overall.

Here’s Renner’s full analysis on Newsome:

The NFL draft is April 29-May 1.