2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Isaiah Foskey

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Isaiah Foskey, 6-5/260 Defensive End Notre Dame

Isaiah Foskey Scouting Report
By Charlie Campbell

Strengths:

Dangerous bull rush

Burst to close

Speed to power

Excellent ability to go for the strip

Sets a tough edge

Strong

Long

Can hold his gap in run defense

Plays with good power

Good hands

Can shed blocks

Burst to close

Instincts

Intelligent

Splash plays

Makes clutch plays for his defense

Good motor

Weaknesses:

Extremely tight

Stiff in the hips

Can’t sink his hips to redirect

Lacks athleticism

Good quickness to close, but not a fast edge rusher

Lacks twitch

Needs to refine pass-rushing moves

Limited pass rusher for a 4-3

Gets in trouble when he plays high

Summary: Over the history of the storied Notre Dame program, no player was as productive as Foskey at getting after the quarterback. He set the Fighting Irish career sack record over three seasons by consistently taking down the signal-caller. Foskey started things out in 2020 with 4.5 sacks and 20 tackles while playing as rotational defender. He then broke out in 2021, recording 11 sacks, six forced fumbles and 52 tackles. In 2022, he totaled 45 stops, 11 sacks and a forced fumble.

Foskey is a talented pass rusher capable of making a difference for his defense. He has a good first-step and burst off the ball to get upfield. His quickness allow him to gain ground and then put pressure on the quarterback. Foskey is adept at getting on the edges of offensive tackles to achieve penetration while also using his hands at the same time to try and keep them from locking onto him. Foskey flashes some speed-to-power ability when he has lineman backpedaling and some upper body strength to manipulate off-balance tackles.

For NFL, however, Foskey faces limitations as a pass rusher. He is a big defensive lineman who has some serious stiffness and a lack of agility. Those things lead to him having some issues with redirecting toward the quarterback or with getting turned to the signal-caller after his quickness allows him to get upfield. Foskey is unable to sink his hips to dip underneath offensive tackles, and that could lead to him getting pushed around the pocket by NFL edge blockers. While Foskey is not a slow lumbering lineman, he is not a pure speed demon off the edge. Thus, he is quicker than fast. Foskey is going to have to beat pro blockers mainly based off his power and physicality.



As a run defender, Foskey is solid. He has a strong build alongside the length to set a tough edge at the point of attack. Foskey can hold his ground in run defense, maintaining his gap and rarely ever getting pushed back. He has the power and good hands to fight off blocks to get in on tackles of ball-carriers.

In the 2023 NFL Draft, Foskey could be a first- or second-round pick.



Player Comparison: A.J. Epenesa. Foskey is reminiscent of Epenesa coming out of Iowa. Both are tough at the point of attack to set the edge and provide solid run defense. They put together speed and sack production in college, but stiffness is a problem for performing effectively against NFL offensive tackles. As pro, I could see Foskey being like Epenesa as a contributor in the pass rush, but not being an elite sack producer.

2023 NFL Draft Player Previews - Choose Player 2023 NFL Draft Player Previews - Home Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M Adetomiwa Adebawore, DE, Northwestern Jordan Addison, WR, USC Will Anderson, DE, Alabama Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State Steve Avila, G, TCU Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland Micah Baskerville, LB, LSU Keeanu Benton, DT, Wisconsin Matthew Bergeron, OT, Syracuse Mekhi Blackmon, CB, USC Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU Brian Branch, S, Alabama Julius Brents, CB, Kansas State Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson Chase Brown, RB, Illinois Sydney Brown, S, Illinois Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA Malik Cunningham, QB, Louisvile Gervon Dexter, DT, Florida Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina Max Duggan, QB, TCU Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Notre Dame Isaiah Foskey, DE, Notre Dame Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon Derick Hall, OLB, Auburn Jaren Hall, QB, BYU Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma Daiyan Henley, LB, Washington State Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio State Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU Broderick Jones, G, Georgia Dawand Jones, OT, Ohio State Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa Will Levis, QB, Kentucky Quan Martin, CB, Illinois Cody Mauch, G, North Dakota State Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame Will McDonald, DE, Iowa State Kenny McIntosh, RB, Georgia Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford Kendre Miller, RB, TCU Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss Cam Mitchell, CB, Northwestern Malachi Moore, S, Alabama Mike Morris, DE, Michigan Wanya Morris, OT, Oklahoma Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State Zion Nelson, OT, Miami B.J. Ojulari, OLB, LSU Demarvion Overshown, LB, Texas Owen Pappoe, LB, Auburn Jarrett Patterson, C, Notre Dame Clark Phillips, CB, Utah Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas Chris Rodriguez, RB, Kentucky Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan Nolan Smith, DE, Georgia Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota Tyler Steen, OT, Alabama Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee Joe Tippman, C, Wisconsin O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida Henry To'oTo'o, LB, Alabama Tuli Tuipulotu, DE, USC D.J. Turner, CB, Michigan Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa Deuce Vaughn, RB, Kansas State Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

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