22d ago football Edit

Baltimore a perfect fit for Penn State DE Adisa Isaac

Dylan Callaghan-Croley • Happy Valley Insider

Editor

On Friday evening, the Baltimore Ravens selected Penn State defensive end Adisa Isaac in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft with the 98th overall pick.

On paper, there were very few defenses that would've fit the New York native better than the Ravens, who have consistently developed their defenders into some of the best in the NFL. He'll also be following a similar path to a former teammate of his, Odafe Oweh.

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Ravens roster will give time for Isaac to develop

While Adisa Isaac was very productive for Penn State and one of the best edge rushers in the Big Ten during his time with the program, the 6 -foot-4, 247-pound pass rusher still has a bit of development left in his game to go. While he'll be more than good enough to see the field in his rookie season, it will take time for him to reach his full potential.

The good news for the Ravens and Isaac is that with the Brooklyn native of making the move to the outside linebacker position, he's going to have plenty of time to develop. With the Ravens, Isaac will join an outside linebacker group in Baltimore that features veteran Kyle Van Noy, former Nittany Lion Odafe Oweh, and 2022 second round pick David Ojabo.

While injuries could always force Isaac into more playing time quickly, in a perfect scenario, Isaac will be able to get plenty of snaps as a rookie while also being given plenty of time to be able to continue to develop as a pass rusher and an outside linebacker, where he'll be able to rush the quarterback more as a stand-up edge rusher than having his hands in the dirt. All that being said, while he develops the finer points of his game, Isaac will be able to serve as a potential pass rushing specialist for the Ravens immediately.

"It's deja vu all over again" - Yogi Berra

For the Baltimore Ravens and Ravens fans, this pick has to be a bit of deja vu.

The Ravens go out and select a high-potential edge rusher for Penn State, who still needs time to develop, and will be making the move from a hand in the dirt defensive end to a mostly standup pass rusher as an outside linebacker.

The last time the Ravens did just that? In 2021, when they selected Odafe Oweh with the 31st overall pick in the first round.

So far, it has been a successful transition for Odafe Oweh. In his three seasons with the Ravens, he's totaled 99 tackles including 13 sacks. This past season, tied his career high with five sacks.

Beyond the surface numbers, Oweh was Baltimore's third highest rated defender in 2023 according to Pro Football Focus only behind Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Hamilton. It was a huge jump for Oweh from a week-to-week performance perspective as he was coming off a rather tough 2022 season for the Ravens.

Now, that being said, Oweh's athleticism coming out of Penn State in 2021 was off the charts and while Isaac is athletic, he doesn't have the same level of athleticism as his former teammate. But on the other end, one could also argue that Oweh wasn't nearly as much of a polished prospect as Isaac while also having significantly less production in his career.

While no two players are ever alike, there are certainly enough similarities between Oweh and Isaac to see why the Ravens were comfortable in selecting him on Friday night.

Isaac fits the Ravens style

When you think of traits of a Baltimore Ravens defender, you often think of players who love to play fast, are tenacious, have a high football IQ, and of course, love to lay down the big hits on a consistent basis. They're usually one of the more fun defenses in the NFL to watch because of that style.

Isaac is a perfect fit for that style. While he may not be as athletic as some other edge rushers, he is still a high quality athlete and most importantly a smart one.

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein uses the line, "ultra decisive with good pre-snap awareness of formation and play potential," when it comes to Isaac's strengths. During his time on the field at Penn State, that pre-snap awareness, his ability to diagnose plays, and read-and-react skills were on consistent display.

On top of that high football IQ, very few defensive ends in this draft have the motor that Isaac presents. Like his football IQ, Isaac often showed during his Penn State career that he was going to play from whistle-to-whistle, he would always look for ways to get past opposing offensive lineman, once he got past that offensive lineman and saw he had to now chase down an opposing quarterback, he would do just that. Isaac was a relentless pass rusher who would consistently find a way to make big plays for Penn State's defense and that's a trait that translates to the NFL very well.

Isaac will have an opportunity to work with elite pass rush coach Chuck Smith

With the Ravens, Isaac will now also have the opportunity to work with Chuck Smith who serves as the Ravens pass rush coach while also helping with the outside linebackers.

Considered one of the best pass rushing coaches in the country, Smith has worked with names such as Aaron Darnold, Carlos Dunlap, Albert Haynesworth, Robert Mathis, Osi Umnyiora, Calais Campbell, Maxx Crosby, Justin Houston, Chandler Jones, Cameron Jordan, and George Karlaftis among others.

He was also a major reason for the uptick in Odafe Oweh's performance last season while also helping Jadeveon Clowney put together one of the best seasons of his career as well last season with the Ravens.

It's safe to say, Smith gets results and the potential of Smith working with such a player like Isaac has to be very exciting for the Ravens.

Some have referred to Isaac as a "ball of clay," which is a good description. While polished, he's the type of defender who still has so much to learn as a pass rusher but also has the willingness and drive to continue to learn and improve his game. Now with the opportunity to work with Chuck Smith, the potential for Isaac may be even higher than it was entering Friday night's second night of the draft.

OVERALL

Overall, Adisa Isaac probably could not have landed in a better place when it comes to a pure fit. While we're not going to sit here and say that Isaac is a star in the making, he'll have a strong opportunity to develop into an impactful player at the NFL level, especially working alongside Chuck Smith.