Penn State DE Adisa Isaac sneaking up in latest round of NFL mock drafts

Even before Adisa Isaac’s impactful 2023 season, Penn State head coach James Franklin was pounding the table for his veteran defensive end. The fifth-year Nittany Lion, through a career of obstacles overcome, had done more than enough to exemplify the comprehensive qualities of a player prepared to succeed at the next level.

And Franklin was determined to make as much clear to anyone willing to listen.

“Adisa is just in a really good place. He’s in a great place academically; he’s in a great place athletically, from a leadership standpoint,” Franklin said ahead of the 2023 campaign. “He’s an Impressive, impressive young man. His family situation, how his mom has raised him, his brothers and sisters, he’s just a phenomenal young man. 

“I got no problem pounding the table with NFL teams for Adisa… that’s kind of our goal, and our objective, is to develop these guys as football players, but also develop these guys as young men, that you’re comfortable putting your name on them whether it’s in football or outside of football.”

In the months leading into April’s 2024 NFL Draft, the sentiment has started to take hold.

On Monday, two new mock drafts at ESPN and PFF included Isaac as a potential second-round selection. A rapid climb from December when Isaac announced his decision to go pro, spurning a potential sixth season at Penn State, loose projections as a mid-round pick has transformed into a potential for second-round footing.

Isaac sneaks into mock draft second round

At ESPN, NFL draft analyst Matt Miller explained why. Coming out of a Senior Bowl performance last week in which Isaac impressed throughout practices, eventually named by Louis Riddick as the defensive practice MVP, Isaac demonstrated enough to earn his pick at No. 63 overall to the San Francisco 49ers.

“One of the big winners of Senior Bowl week, Isaac showed pass-rushing traits (quickness, flexibility, and strength) that project to starter level in the pros, despite being undersized at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds,” Miller wrote. “The 49ers traded for Chase Young, but he’s going to be an unrestricted free agent. And while 2022 second-rounder Drake Jackson could be a starter once he returns from injury, the team needs more depth and speed at defensive end. Isaac would be the team’s best edge player outside of Nick Bosa.”

The latest PFF mock draft from Trevor Sikkema and Connor Rogers also has Isaac sneaking into the second round. In their case, he’s the 60th overall pick to the Buffalo Bills.

Isaac led Penn State’s talented defense with 16.0 tackles for a loss. His 7.5 sacks were also the best for the Nittany Lions. Combined with his 37 tackles, five quarterback hurries, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery, Isaac had one of the most productive, varied seasons of anyone on the defensive side of the ball.

Penn State potential draftees

Isaac’s inclusion in the latest round of NFL mock drafts puts him among a handful of other Nittany Lions also anticipating high-round choices in two months. 

First, and most consistently tops among Penn State’s draft-eligible players, left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu remains firmly in the first round for the latest round of mock drafts. ESPN has him going the highest, pegging him at No. 9 overall to the Chicago Bears thanks to Miller’s assessment that Braxton Jones “is a good but limited player” who “will never be a top-five NFL left tackle.” Given that take, Fashanu “has the potential to become an elite NFL tackle.”

Lance Zierlin at NFL.com has Fashanu going 18th overall to Cincinnati while the PFF mock draft has Fashanu 10th to the New York Jets.

Meanwhile, a range of possibilities continues to exist for Penn State’s highest-regarded defensive end prospect for the draft. At ESPN, Chop Robinson is projected as the No. 40 overall pick to Washington thanks to the Commanders’ “bare” edge-rushing cupboard. “Robinson, a speedy pass-rusher at 250 pounds, would pair nicely with the power of Braswell,” writes Miller. “He posted just four sacks in 2023 while dealing with some nagging injuries, but Robinson has rumored 4.4 speed, and his stock could skyrocket after the combine.”

Zierlin at NFL.com has Robinson going 23rd overall to Houston while the PFF mock draft has Robinson going 53rd overall to Miami Dolphins.