With the 93rd pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Penn State EDGE Adisa Issaac.
RSR staff react to the pick here.
Wasn't sure Isaac would be around late in the 3rd so I actually like the value for the Ravens. He has technical deficiencies with his hands but his explosion and his pass rush results despite this, give a good indication of who he can be once Chuck Smith gets his hands on him https://t.co/VxgaUEA9pg
— James Ogden (@NflOgden) April 27, 2024
Darin McCann
Adisa Isaac is a fun player. He was a team captain who showed a non-stop motor, which projects well as a rotational player who should gain more reps as he progresses physically. He’s going to fight and scrap and probably start out with a big role on special teams. Ravens have met some needs the first three picks, without reaching. Solid start. Bring on Saturday.
Kevin McNelis
Yeahhhhh, this one I don’t like as much.
Isaac was among a crop of defenders at Penn State who all showed crazy athleticism, but I don’t know that I saw enough of a profile of work to feel like he’s a notable improvement over the guys you already have in that personnel group. If they were married to the idea of taking an EDGE there, I liked Austin Booker and Mo Kamara in terms of fit a little better.
Beyond that, I think my gripe is just the talent still sitting on the board at receiver. By all accounts, Troy Franklin shouldn’t have slid anywhere near that pick, and it felt like they could’ve snagged a steal. Otherwise, Javon Baker as a true X would’ve been a hell of a pick.
The more picks that go by without a receiver, the more I get the gut feeling that they may have a hush-hush deal to bring in another free agent or trade target.
Jared Pinder
Adisa Issac is an interesting case study. He is a good athlete with size and burst to win around the edge and win with power. This is the type of player I love to go with later because of his athleticism. My biggest concerns with this team were the Corners, Tackles, and Edge Rushers. The Ravens have filled all three of them before day three which is a win.
Chad Racine
The Ravens managed to select positions of need without sacrificing value by avoiding reaching for players. Personally I thought corner, offensive tackle and edge were greater needs than receiver, but I was in the minority among our fan base.
Adidas Isaac is the latest Penn State edge player to join the Ravens. While not quite the athleticism of Oweh, he was however much more productive with 7.5 sacks last year. Chuck Smith gets another player to help mold.
Brennan Stewart
Steelers suck!”
Another college reunion for the defense— this time Adisa Isaac and Odafe Oweh who played together at Penn State as sophomores during the 2020 season.
At 6’4” and 249 lbs, Isaac finished his final season with the second-most tackles for loss in the Big Ten (16), and also tied with three others for the third-most sacks in the conference (7.5).
He’s a former team captain who led in several stat categories in what’s arguably the country’s hardest division of football. With Roquan Smith to guide him in the linebacker corps, the sky’s the limit for Adisa Isaac, who fills in at a thin position behind only Oweh and Malik Hamm.
Nikhil Mehta
For the third pick in a row, the board fell the Ravens’ way, with Penn State EDGE Adisa Isaac making his way to Baltimore. Turn on the tape and you’ll see him playing like a Raven against the run and displaying relentless pursuit as a pass-rusher, though he is underdeveloped in that area. There’s still plenty for Chuck Smith to build on, and in the meantime, Isaac is a classic high-floor early-down Ravens 3-4 OLB (more SAM than RUSH) who will set a hard edge and pop on some stunts. I’m not asking him to drop in coverage often, but he has the athleticism to do so when Baltimore’s simulated pressures demand it. Isaac is not an elite athlete, but his 8.99 Relative Athletic Score from the Combine has gotten overshadowed by the 9.72 RAS of fellow Nittany Lion and 21st overall pick Chop Robinson. (For what it’s worth, Isaac has an inch on his former Penn State teammate in both height and arm length.)
I like the pick enough, but I love the overall process from the Ravens so far even more. They had a plan, stayed patient, refused to panic, and got their guys.
7 Responses
Hey, Kevin, great analysis on Adisa Isaac! 10 lines, and all you’ve managed to write about actually him is… nothing, but rather chose to vent your disappointment for the Ravens not picking a WR instead. You think this was what readers wanted to see in an article about the staff’s opinion on Isaac?
This was more the instant reaction of a disappointed fan than that of a pundit, to be honest. Even for a “knee-jerk reaction”, it just wasn’t for this article, was it?
Go easy on him. The man is disappointed. There are opinions galore in all these kids all over the place. WR is not a postion of need – but I am sure they will find some gems in the next rounds.
That’s just like… your opinion, man.
Lol no, that’s fair. I think, as you said, my reaction was just as much about context in which the pick was made as it was the pick itself. Isaac is athletically gifted and tested really well, but his hand skills and move set in his pass rush repertoire need work, similarly to what Ojabo needed. That was my point in bringing up Kamara, who feels more polished as a pass rusher even if his size isn’t ideal.
Appreciate the feedback.
This nothing more than a traditional post-mortem to the annual NFL “crap shoot” a/k/a the…..draft! We won’t know for a year or two just how successful it was! But, we are all entitled to our opinions…….
If Jonathan Ogden likes him, why argue with that? I trust that guy more than anyone who’s never played the game.
Personally I don’t like either pick on day 2. It’s just my personal opinion.
You could say that’s why I am a fan and not making the calls. I would get to emotionally involved.
Here’s hoping that these picks work out and we don’t have to re-visit these positions in the upcoming drafts.
One thing I am curious about. Why do GMs and organizations continually favor certain schools. It seems like EDC is always drafting PSU players regardless of success rate. Just curious as to the rationale.
We all have our views/opinions and sometimes we agree and sometimes we don’t. That’s what makes this forum interesting. Let’s enjoy the forum.
Usually there’s a relationship our scouts/coaches have with certain programs. For years it was Ozzie with Bama. Now it appears we have some sort of Penn State connection. The Steelers have had a connection with OSU. There’s the tape, and then there’s the person. The tape can’t tell you that. A coach can. And it’s better if it’s someone you trust so you don’t feel like you’re getting a snow job by a coach who’s just trying to get his guy drafted, or a coach telling you something negative just because he doesn’t like a kid (and yes. Coaches sabatoge kids they don’t like all the time. I witnessed it up close). Dealing with someone you trust helps with that.