Cleveland Browns: 2019 7-Round mock draft, Vol. 3
By Peter Smith
Round 2: Andy Isabella, WR, Massachusetts – 5-10, 190 lbs. (Listed)
- 102 receptions for 1,698 yards (47.4 percent) and 13 touchdowns in 2018.
Isabella has been nothing short of prolific the past two seasons, averaging 113.2 yards per contest in those 24 games. When all the information is in, it’s possible that Isabella will be the best wide receiver prospect in this draft class as he looks and plays similarly to T.Y. Hilton.
He’s shown most everything he can during his time at UMass as well. Isabella wins at every level of the field, he knows how to create separation and he’s difficult to deal with after the catch. He’s also shown the ability to deal with a significant workload with 272 offensive touches the past three seasons.
His athleticism is incredible. In terms of speed and quickness, he’s playing in a different gear than everyone else. There’s yet to be a game where he isn’t clearly the fastest player out there, including against SEC competition. Isabella’s slippery, able to get down the field easily and tracks the ball well with good hands. Deep, underneath, or anywhere in between, he’s always a threat to score. He can make people miss and with his explosion, any seam and he might be gone.
One of the areas that’s going to be held against Isabella is his size. It will be interesting to see what he measures in at for the Senior Bowl and then the athletic testing. What’s going to be interesting is if he’s perhaps shorter but thicker than Marquise Brown from Oklahoma, if it’s held against Isabella but not against Brown, who looks legitimately like a DeSean Jackson.
The other mistake some may make with Isabella is assuming he can only lineup in the slot. Again, he’ll have another chance to showcase this at the Senior Bowl and then with his athletic testing, but he’s a matchup problem, regardless of where he is. Boundary corners are going to have a difficult time getting hands on or keeping up with him. For teams that are creative and can move guys around in formations to create matchups, he’s a dream.
The last issue that he’s had no problem with so far, but will get thrown at him is how he will be able to hold up physically, but the workload he’s had suggests this shouldn’t be a problem. Nevertheless, if he takes a ball in the middle of the field and gets under a pile, but that’s true of a lot of players. Isabella’s supreme athletic gifts, polish and ability after the catch seem like a perfect fit for Baker Mayfield.