ExtremeRavens Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 The Ravens went to a familiar well with their final pick of the second day of the NFL draft on Friday night. With the 93rd overall pick in the third round, Baltimore selected Penn State outside linebacker Adisa Isaac. It marks the second time in four years that the Ravens have drafted a Penn State pass rusher after taking Odafe Oweh in the first round in 2021. Oweh had helped recruit Isaac to Penn State, and now they’ll be reuinted. “We’re real tight,” Isaac said. “He was a great big brother to me, coming into Penn State. … So for now, for it to come full circle, it’s a very unique situation.” After losing outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney in free agency and with questions surrounding a largely young pass-rushing group that includes Oweh and 2022 second-round pick David Ojabo, the Ravens added a prospect who was plenty productive for the Nittany Lions. Isaac was a team captain and All-Big Ten selection who had 37 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 7 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in 13 games as a redshirt senior last season. He also finished fourth in the Big Ten in tackles for loss per game (1.2) and fifth in sacks per game (0.6). Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said he got a look at Isaac early on in his process. DeCosta’s daughter attends Penn State and he went to the Nittany Lions’ first home game of the season, a 38-15 win over West Virginia. But he saw more on film, just not Isaac’s own. Penn State defensive end Adisa Isaac sacks Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa on Nov. 4 in College Park. (Nick Wass/AP) With offensive linemen among the Ravens’ draft needs, he watched tape from the Big Ten, except in his search for a blocker it was Isaac who kept “wreaking havoc.” “He’s got great length,” DeCosta said. “He’s got heavy hands. He’s got some different moves. He’s got speed, quickness, and I think he’s tenacious. And so I think all of those things, when we think about our best pass rushers, I think those are a lot of the traits those guys have.” Isaac’s self-assessment? “I’m just disruptive, very lengthy, bendy, twitchy, very violent player,” he said. “I feel like I’m very versatile. I can make plays on dropping, make plays on rushing, make plays in the run game.” The Ravens could use some. Their outside linebacker group is relatively young and has question marks. They brought back veteran Kyle Van Noy, but Oweh has been inconsistent and Ojabo has struggled to stay healthy. Which is why coach John Harbaugh sees Isaac as someone who will be expected to contribute in the 2024 season, at least as a rotational piece they can move around. Isaac has a few goals, too. “I need that [Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick] Mahomes sack,” he said. “And I need that [Buffalo Bills’] Josh Allen sack.” View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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