The all time leading sack artist for the the Notre Dame program, edge rusher Isaiah Foskey hopes those numbers will help him improve his draft stock as he enters the 2023 NFL draft.
Here is everything you need to know about the Fighting Irish’s edge defender:
Vitals
Height: 6-5
Weight: 264
Class: Junior
40 Time: 4.58
Strengths
One of the most athletically gifted edge rushers in this class, Isaiah Foskey dominated college football the last two years, putting up elite numbers at his position. In those two seasons Foskey wracked up 22 sacks, an incredible seven forced fumbles, 97 tackles, and 65 total quarterback pressures. He was a menace for the Fighting Irish and ended his final season as their all time leading sack leader.
As a pass rusher, Foskey uses his athletic gifts extremely well, exploding off the football and placing his long arms in the face of offensive tackles, driving them back into the pocket and working his hands and speed to break free of their grasp. It is very hard for lineman to get their hands into his chest, as Foskey is so explosive on the ball and excels at using his arms to keep them at bay. He uses violent hands to slap away the reach of tackles, and if they are not quick enough to recover from his initial attack they will typically be lost on the play when he takes the fastest route to the quarterback. Foskey excels in countering his blockers, shifting his arms back across their body and exploding through gaps left open by less nimble linemen.
As a run defender, Foskey uses that same arm length to create a solid anchor, allowing him to mirror offensive linemen on the move and slap his way through contact to slide through gaps and wrap up ball carriers. He is feisty in run defense and has a non-stop motor, always looking to make a play, and excels in putting himself back into plays where he was initially disengaged by an offensive lineman who got the better of him early.
Weaknesses
Though he does rush the passer like he was shot out of a cannon, it becomes easy for Foskey to lose momentum on a rush should his initial attack stall out. If an offensive lineman is able to anchor against him, Foskey struggles to find a second option out of that block, and will fizzle out on the play. He will need to upgrade his pass-rushing toolbox and work on creating better bend off the edge instead of relying on his initial physical push to win all attacks. NFL-caliber offensive linemen got the better of him in college, and the lack of pass-rushing options was a large reason why.
Foskey will also need to improve his consistency as a run blocker, as too often he was blown off the ball. Once his feet were de-platformed it was hard for him to recover right away. He will need to add some play strength and improve his anchor to not be a target in running attacks. An improved toolbox will help here too, as having access to more counters will equally apply in run blocking.
Projection
Isaiah Foskey is an ultra-productive player who is still a bit raw in multiple phases of the game. Should he develop his pass-rushing skillset, and add more bend and strength into his game, his best football may be ahead of him, as offensive lineman will struggle to keep up with his size/weight/speed combination and the raw athleticism he possesses.
Foskey will need to work on expanding how he attacks linemen, working on balance and anchoring at the line of scrimmage to avoid being a liability in the running game. Teams will be eager to allow Foskey to develop within their system, as his production and ceiling combination will make him an ultra-tempting prospect to leap on, and he will likely be productive early in his career.
Projection: Top 50 Pick
