A number of Notre Dame defenders should hear their name called in next year's NFL Draft, and the odds are strong defensive end Isaiah Foskey will be the first one picked. A strong senior season could result in Foskey skyrocketing up draft boards.
Hometown: Antioch, CA
High School: De La Salle
Birth Date: 10/30/2000
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 260 pounds
BACKGROUND: Being recruited predominantly as a tight end, Foskey opted for Notre Dame’s vision of him at defensive end, and it has paid off so far. During the 2021 season, Foskey played and started in all 13 games for the Irish, leading the team in sacks with the third-most in a Notre Dame single season (11.0). He recorded a sack in nine of 13 contests, including two multi-sack performances. He ended the year with 12.5 tackles for loss to lead the defense.
Foskey also finished fourth on the team in tackles (52). He was named to the Phil Steele All-American Third Team and 2021 Phil Steele All-Independent First Team.
He played in all 12 games for the Irish during the 2020 season, collecting 20 tackles (12 solo, 5.0 TFL) and 4.5 sacks for the second-highest total on the Irish defense as a rotation player behind 2021 NFL Draft picks Daelin Hayes and Adetokunbo Ogundeji. Foskey also tallied five quarterback hurries and a pass breakup.
During his true freshman season, Foskey appeared in four-game for the team, New Mexico, Bowling Green, Duke and Stanford. He recorded five total tackles on the year, with a quarterback hurry and a blocked punt (Pittsburgh).
STRENGTHS: From a physical perspective, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more gifted athlete than Foskey. Recruited by schools to play both tight end and defensive end coming out of De La Salle, Foskey boasts absurd length for the position. That physical profile has allowed him to continue to add clean weight to his frame, where he still looks like he can add a solid 10-15 pounds despite already being in the 260-pound range.
Foskey is an outstanding athlete overall, boasting impressive twitch and explosiveness for a player his size. That allows him to make a variety of plays in pursuit, where he has a notable amount of range due to both his tackle radius and explosiveness. Foskey has a strong pair of hands, showing the ability to shock offensive lineman at the point of attack.
The California product came to South Bend as a very raw defensive player and has been brought along slowly. He has continued to add moves to his pass rush repertoire, including a club rip and a variety of inside moves. Foskey has limitless upside as a pass rusher. The fact that he was able to record 12.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks in 2021 off of almost pure gifts speaks volumes about the upside.
AREAS TO IMPROVE: Foskey’s biggest improvements need to come in the run game, where he is a sound edge setter but hasn’t made a ton of disruptive plays in that area. He needs to be more aggressive to get off of blocks if he is going to take his game to the next level. Foskey must still also continue to strengthen his pass rush plan to impact the passing game to his highest projection.
While he has a really nice first step, Foskey can be late off of the snap at times. He will need to time the snap better to win earlier in reps.
SUMMARY: The upside is all there. If Foskey is able to take his game to the next level, he has the type of upside to be a high first-round selection and perennial double-digit sack artist. The unteachables (i.e. length, explosiveness, and bend) are always important when you talk about the edge position.
After seeing Aidan Hutchinson go from early day two pick to the No. 2 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft class, there is no reason to believe that Foskey can’t follow a similar trajectory. When comparing the tools, Foskey wins out almost unanimously across the board.
ONE LINER: “Explosive edge rusher with length for days. Limitless upside with continued improved plan of attack.”
EARLY PROJECTION: First round
COMPARISON: DeMarcus Ware, Dallas Cowboys/Denver Broncos (retired)
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