What Notre Dame DE Isaiah Foskey said about joining New Orleans Saints
There’s a lengthy list of college quarterbacks former Notre Dame defensive end Isaiah Foskey has taken down. He almost added a television to it before getting to his first NFL signal-caller.
No, really.
When Foskey heard his name called in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, he nearly froze up in the frenzy of jubilant family and friends. Some waterworks arrived followed by an excited rage that led to a few exuberant “Let’s Go!”s. Foskey just became a professional football player.
He just became a member of the New Orleans Saints.
“It was an emotion you can’t bottle in,” Foskey told New Orleans reporters in a video call Friday night. “You just got to let it go. That’s what happened. Family all around me. In that moment, you had to do what you had to do. I stood up. I was about to run through that TV. I was like, ‘I’m ready to go right now.'”
Foskey met with the Saints at the combine and then again at Notre Dame’s pro day. He said he fell in love with the coaching staff pretty quickly and kept telling those close to him that he wanted to play for New Orleans.
The Saints made that a reality with their second pick of the draft, No. 40 overall.
New Orleans spent their first two picks on defensive linemen. The Saints selected Clemson tackle Bryan Bresee in the first round. Eight-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cam Jordan is going into his 13th season with the organization. He just had 8.5 sacks as a 33-year-old. Foskey is elated to join an organization that has a mix of youth and veteran leadership along the d-line.
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“I want to go on a team that is defense and d-line oriented,” Foskey said. “That first pick, Bryan Bresee, me and him are going to be dominating the front seven.”
He added, “Just being myself is the best thing I can do. Being a great leader. Being a sponge, learning from a guy like Cam Jordan. That’s just being me. And being a relentless pass-rusher because that’s the guy I am on a defense.”
Foskey is Notre Dame’s all-time leader in sacks (26.5). He notched 11-plus in each of the last two seasons. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman and defensive line coach Al Washington, two influential figures who helped him attain such stellar statistics, were at Foskey’s family home in California for a draft day party. Their challenge to the most decorated pass-rusher in Notre Dame history?
Be more than that.
“The Saints picked me because they know they can put me anywhere, and they know I’m a disruptive type of defensive end,” Foskey said. “That’s what I try to be. Sacks aren’t good enough. You get a sack, I try to go for the ball. They know I’m a disruptive defensive end. Get me on the field, I’ll cause havoc.”
As long as he isn’t knocking out any TVs, Foskey will fare just fine in the Big Easy.
