Isaiah McGuire NFL Draft 2023: Scouting Report for Cleveland Browns' DL
HEIGHT: 6'4"
WEIGHT: 268
HAND: 8 5/8"
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ARM: 33 7/8"
WINGSPAN: TBD
40-YARD DASH: 4.76
3-CONE: 7.39
SHUTTLE: TBD
VERTICAL: 36.5"
BROAD: 10'2"
POSITIVES
– Great size with an NFL-ready body for a defensive end.
– Good use of hands as a pass-rusher, accurate with his initial chops to knock the tackle's hands down and he combines that with a nice arm-over or rip to win around the edge or on the inside.
– Keeps his feet moving through contact when bull rushing and has enough strength to put weaker offensive tackles on their heels and collapse the pocket.
– Effective as the penetrator in line games, he attacks the tackle to draw the tackle inside and can get penetration against guards with a head of steam.
– As a run defender, he's physical and strong at the point of attack with good hand placement to get extension versus offensive linemen, and he can close the gap with tight ends.
– When unblocked on the backside of zone runs, he does a good job of staying tight to the line of scrimmage and squeezing to be able to make tackles for short gains if the frontside plugs up their gaps.
– Solid at getting off blocks, plenty of strength and decent violence when shedding.
NEGATIVES
– Not going to win with speed around the edge as a pass-rusher, lacks acceleration off the line of scrimmage and can be a tick slow to react to the snap.
– Drops his hands when bull rushing, allowing blockers to make the first significant contact and latch onto him.
– Sub-par bend to turn tight corners when winning around the edge, not very flexible.
– Against gap runs, he's late to recognize and get underneath pullers as the spill player in run fits, leaving inside rushing lanes open.
– Is more of a waist bender than a knee bender to get a leverage advantage as a run defender.
– Struggles to fight back against pressure when taking on down blocks, he's not good at anticipating the down block coming and his pad level becomes an issue.
– Lacks the athleticism to break down and tackle in space.
NOTES
– A 3-Star recruit in the 2019 class, No. 1,228 overall, No. 81 SDE, per 247Sports composite rankings
– No major injuries
– 33 career starts
– Career stats (four seasons): 117 total tackles (75 solo), 32 TFL, 17.5 sacks, 1 PD, 4 FFs
– 2022 Honors: First-Team All-SEC
– 2021 Honors: SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week (Week 11)
OVERALL
Isaiah McGuire certainly looks the part at 6'4" and 274 pounds, and he puts that frame to good use. He's strong and physical at the point of attack to hold up against the run and is a solid power rusher. He also has good use of hands to add to his pass-rush arsenal, showing the ability to win with chop-rip and chop-swim moves.
However, McGuire does appear to lack some twitch and athleticism. He doesn't have the quickness that a lot of other pass rushers in this draft class have, and he's a little stiff when it comes to bending or turning tight corners around the edge. That makes the combination more important for him to try and dispel those narratives.
Schematically, the Missouri product would be best as a 5-technique for a team that uses a lot of even fronts. He's not athletic enough to play as a standup outside backer in odd fronts and isn't big enough to consistently line up as a 4i-technique defensive end.
That being said, teams looking for a solid all-around defensive end in the middle rounds should have him on their radar.
GRADE: 6.6 (Potential Role Player, 4th Round)
OVERALL RANK: 122
POSITION RANK: DL16
PRO COMPARISON: Kingsley Enagbare
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