Speed was the one thing you couldn’t miss when evaluating Isabella. But before NFL scouts and the college football landscape even heard the name Andy Isabella, he was just a 5-foot-9, 180-pound running back from a small suburb 22 minutes east of Cleveland, Ohio. The only two offers the Mayfield, Ohio, native had were from FCS Lafayette and Air Force.įour years later and being selected as one of three finalists for the Biletnikoff Award- given to the nation’s best FBS wide receiver- Isabella’s name is rising up draft boards. That’s what separates his case from Edelman’s.Coming out of high school, Andy Isabella was hardly recognized as a Division I talent. That success in college does not mean Isabella is a sure thing in the NFL, but come draft day he’s earned to right to be selected fairly high. He also had 102 receptions, 13 touchdown receptions, and was named to seven All-America teams. Isabella finished as the nation’s leader in receiving yards with 1,698 and receiving yards per game (141.5). He caught more than 120 passes as a sophomore and junior, but had a breakout as a senior in 2018. He was a running back in high school at Mayfield, but unlike Edelman, by the time his college career got going he was full-time wide receiver. Speed and quickness are vital to Isabella as a receiver. There is a need to offset that height with other measurables. The pressure will be on to perform because he’s just 5-8. Isabella will run the 40, and compete in other drills. He’s been invited to the scouting combine, set for late February in Indianapolis. Isabella already played and played well in the Senior Bowl. The two worked together before the 2009 draft.Įdelman did not play in the Senior Bowl, and was not invited to the scouting combine. He credits that time to longtime area trainer Tim Robertson, who’s also the strength and conditioning coach at John Carroll. It’s one that’s important for skill-position players. He made waves at Kent Stat’s pro day before that draft with an impressive time of 3.91 seconds in the short shuttle drill, which features short bursts and shows off a player’s agility. He was not a QB prospect, so he switched to receiver.Įdelman was picked 232nd overall by the Patriots in Round 7 during the 2009 draft. When the 2009 draft approached, Edelman did whatever he could to get on team’s radars. He was a quarterback at Kent State, where in three seasons he threw for 4,997 yards and rushed for 2,483. Cooks was drafted 20th overall by the Saints in 2014.Įdelman never played receiver in college. He’s played five seasons, and has four 1,000-yard campaigns. Cooks is 5-10, 190 pounds with elite speed. A lot of teams are saying he’s the next Brandin Cooks.”Ī Cooks-Isabella comparison makes more sense during the pre-draft process. “Andy’s not Julian Edelman,” said Swenson. As a wide receiver draft prospect, Isabella is light years ahead. to not compare Edelman’s situation to Isabella’s. If the Patriots are eyeing Isabella in the draft, it would be wise by Belichick and Co. Edelman (5-9, 198) replaced Welker in 2013 and has averaged 86 receptions every season since. Wes Welker, who played at 5-9, 190 pounds, played for the Patriots from 2007 to 2012 and averaged 112 receptions per season. It does makes sense in this respect – Coach Bill Belichick hasn’t shied from utilizing under-sized receivers and make them stars. During the Senior Bowl, as Isabella continued to produce, a popular search on Twitter was “Andy Isabella Patriots.” Many were saying on social media he’s the NFL’s next Julian Edelman, who’s one of the Patriots’ top receiver, and predicted he would be drafted by the team.
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