Scouting Report: Adisa Isaac (EDGE) - Penn State
Sales Pitch: "Twitchy speed rusher with impressive length and quick hands. Lacks the size or strength to be a positive in the run game but shows the hand usage and agility to be an impactful rotational rusher early on and eventually round into a solid #2."
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 4 3/8”
Weight: 247 lbs
Arm Length: 33 7/8”
Hand Size: 9 5/8”
40 Yard Dash: 4.74
10 Yard Split: 1.63
Vertical: 34.5”
Broad Jump: 10’ 3”
Short Shuttle: 4.33
3-Cone: 7.01
Age: 22
Relative Athletic Score: 8.99 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 82 Pressures - 17 Sacks - 58 Tackles - 55 STOPs
2023: 33 Pressures - 9 Sacks - 26 Tackles - 26 STOPs
Strengths
Twitchy athlete with impressive length
Team captain who brings toughness and effort to a Front-4
Dynamic speed rusher with the quickness and bend to take the edge
Solid compliment of moves with counters that take advantage of his movement skills
Quick hands capable of quickly defeating blockers
Willing to take on contact in the run game
Strong close and finish skills as a pass rusher
Only a 10% missed tackle rate in 2023
Lateral movement skills to be an effective looper on stunts and twists
Requisite athleticism to drop into coverage in a 3-4
Speed to power and long arm moves are both very effective
Weaknesses
Lean frame with poor weight for an EDGE
Limited power rush profile
Struggles to stay on his pass rush path through contact from stronger blockers
Fails to hold his ground in the run game at the point of attack
Aggressive mentality, can run himself upfield versus the run
Hand placement as a pass rusher is inconsistent
Below average power in his hands
Lacks the size or play strength to play in a 2 gap run system
5T or wider only, cannot reduce inside
Summary
Adisa Isaac is a twitchy pass rusher who primarily wins with speed and quickness. The former 4-Star recruit from the state of New York was an All Big-10 selection in 2022 and 2023, as well a team captain for Penn State in his final season. Isaac’s most translatable skill to the next level is his pass rush ability. He has a quick first step and solid compliment of moves to attack the upfield shoulder of tackles. He does a nice job showing counters, such as a euro step and swim move, that take advantage of his change of direction skills to cross the face of tackles that sell out to stop his upfield quickness. Isaac has the core flexibility and closing speed to turn the corner and convert his pressures into sacks. He also has the lateral movement skills to be an impactful looper on stunts and twists. His power rush profile is below average due to marginal play strength but he still displays a good long arm and coverts speed to power really well. Isaac has quick hands as a rusher but they lack pop and their placement is erratic. He will need to polish up his moves at the next level if he wants to become a starter. Isaac has starter level qualities for an NFL EDGE but struggles in the run game raise questions about how many snaps he can take a game. He possesses poor weight and strength for an NFL EDGE, struggling to take on and hold up at the point of attack. Isaac does have the foot speed and hand work to defeat blockers in the run game and create disruption, particularly when asked to move laterally. He shows good pursuit effort and the closing speed to chase down runs from the backside. His lack of size will lead to offenses at the next level attacking him on early downs until he can improve his anchor and lower body strength. Isaac projects as a 3-4 OLB or 4-3 DE that primarily lines up outside the tackles shoulder. Early in his career he will likely live as a rotational pass rusher but once he adds more strength to his frame and gets his run defense to a survivable level he can be a quality number 2 option for a defense.