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A Biletnikoff finalist, Andy Isabella was a multi-year marvel at Massachusetts, turning him into one of the nation’s top receivers despite a small 5-foot-9 stature. Lightning fast with a combine-leading 4.31 40-time for wideouts, Isabella used speed as his greatest weapon to gather 1,698 yards as a senior, his second straight 1,000-yard output. Put together a 303-yard receiving game against Liberty last year on just nine receptions.

Tallied 30 touchdowns in three seasons and averaged 8.6 yards per carry when touting the football 40 times. Experienced in kickoff and punt return. Isabella proved that his speed can make up for his lack of size, but for all his production he was still drop-prone – though this may come with the territory when you account for a third of your team’s offense. Could operate in the slot at the next level. Has reportedly trained with Vikings legend Randy Moss.

Size

5-9, 188 pounds

Combine notables

40-yard dash: 4.31 seconds (T1st at position)
Bench: 15 reps
Vertical: 36.5 inches
Broad jump: 121 inches
3-cone drill: 6.95 seconds (6^th at position)
20-yard shuttle: 4.15 seconds (T6th at position)

What the scouts say

“Competitive, well-rounded receiver possessing both elite quickness and long speed to go with solid play strength. Isabella has the feet and fakes to uncover in a hallway closet, and the former high school sprint champion proved to Georgia that his ability to win deep should not be underestimated. Isabella could become a menace on option routes with the ability to add vertical routes from the slot, but he must improve his pass-catching consistency and smoothness into his breaks in order to transition all that speed to the NFL.” – Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

“We’ve seen players of similar skill sets come through the scouting process in recent years, but what separates Isabella compared to his contemporaries is elite speed. Unfortunately all the same concerns in terms of limited catch radius are still present. With that said, Isabella has more play strength than expected from his diminutive frame. I do have two major concerns with Isabella, starting with sloppy hands. He is a body catcher that struggles to catch the football outside of his frame which restricts and already small catch radius. Secondly, he is guilty of taking too many steps as a route runner both at the line of scrimmage and working into his breaks. For a team looking for a slot, Isabella has appeal and comes with some upside should he clean up his route running and that his hands don’t fail him too often.” – Joe Marino, The Draft Network

What PFF says

-1^st in yards per route run
-2^nd in deep pass yards
-61^st in drop rate (5.6 percent)
-38^th in slot receptions

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CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE
ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE

TOP 40 PLAYERS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS NEEDS & TARGETS
POSITIONAL TOP 5 RANKINGS & VIDEO BREAKDOWNS
MINNESOTA VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
INMAN: NFC NORTH WORST CASE DRAFT SCENARIOS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL (PODCASTS, VIDEOS, ARTICLES)
INMAN’S MOCK DRAFT COLLECTION

Sam Ekstrom

Sam Ekstrom is an executive producer and host at Locked On Sports Minnesota. He's previously covered the Vikings for 105 The Ticket, Zone Coverage, Purple Insider, and the Associated Press. He grew up in Vermillion, S.D. rooting for the USD Coyotes (not SDSU) and graduated from Dordt (not "dork") University in Sioux Center, Iowa.

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