Notre Dame edge rusher Isaiah Foskey has been an unstoppable force in his college career since becoming a starter in 2021. He has 27 sacks over the last three seasons – 23 in the previous two – and doesn’t show many signs of weakness. The only potential issue that could push Foskey down NFL Draft boards is that he may project better as a 3-4 outside linebacker and might have to work into a 4-3 defensive end role.

Isaiah Foskey clearly has a bit of upside to his game, and it’s going to take him some time to work through. He flashes excellent bend – when he hits that point where he can play with that bend, he will be a special player. He can still work on cleaning up his hands a bit, but they look pretty good. Still, good upside for Foskey. 

https://twitter.com/stevenihaglund/status/1617371035124502529?s=61&t=LCnE4-4Rqzo7f4USiXs5IA

Played through an injury in 2022. Other than that, Foskey has stayed healthy. 

Isaiah Foskey’s scouting report

Athletic Ability (45)

Speed/Athleticism: 20 

• Speed (6/7) – Doesn’t look as quick or as fast as you would expect to see in the backfield, especially considering his explosive ability. Long strides allow him to cover ground quickly. Shows some excellent straight line speed. Chases down some plays that you don’t really expect to see him chase down. 
• Lateral Quickness (5/7) – Shows good lateral quickness, especially when he needs to contain the edge as the read defender. 
• Body Control (4/6) – Doesn’t change direction as well as you’d like to see. Shows some recovery in pursuit after changing direction. 

Burst: 10 

• First Step Quickness (3/5) – Good, not great, first step. Has explosion to generate power but isn’t consistent timing up the snap well. 
• Explosion (4.5/5) – So explosive, stands out on tape as an annihilator when he gets a clean lick on someone. 

Power/Strength: 15 

• Upper Body Strength (4.5/6) – Flashes some solid upper body strength, mostly in speed to power situations. Can struggle with contact to his upper body from the side.
• Lower Body Strength (5.5/6) – All of Foskey’s strength must be found in his calves and ankles. Incredibly explosive. 
• Pure Brute Strength (1.5/3) – Flashed a little bit of brute strength at the Senior Bowl, but isn’t so much in his arsenal. 

Pass Rushing Mechanics (25)

Bend: 10 

• Balance (3.5/5) – Typically works with very solid balance. Struggled with bigger, powerful players more often than not. 
• Bend (3.5/5) – Decent bend. Works well around the edge. Flashed solid reps but wasn’t consistent enough with the flashes. 

Finesse: 15 

• Hand Usage (4/5) – Good hand usage on his speed rush. Brings a fleury of punches, very difficult to predict or set against. Looks like he’s relatively coordinated. Hands can get stagnant at times. 
• Hand Strength (3/5) – Decent hand strength, don’t see him swipe away the hands as well as you’d like to see. 
• Hand Placement (3.5/5) – Hand placement is typically good. Works well through reps. Struggles to get off when he’s locked up, oftentimes won’t. Looks like he doesn’t know what to do. 

Defender Ability (26) 

Tackling/Pursuit: 16

• Tackling Ability (5/6) – Vicious tackler. Arrives with an explosive hit, wraps up instantly. Takes down the quarterback well and shouldn’t draw flags. 
• Space Defending (4/5) – Good space defender. Shows the ability to play very effective contain. 
• Pursuit Angles (4.5/5) – Works off the edge well to attack the run gap. 

Motor/Consistency: 10 

• Motor (4.5/5) – Excellent motor. Stays busy throughout the play. Doesn’t give up. 
• Consistent Motor (4.5/5) – From play to play, Foskey is typically very consistent. Does an excellent job staying active on every play. Doesn’t take plays off. 

Overall: (86.5) – 1st Round