CLEVELAND, Ohio — Mayfield alum Andy Isabella is heading west to start his NFL career. The UMass wide receiver was chosen by the Arizona Cardinals with the 62nd pick in the 2019 NFL Draft on Friday in Nashville. Isabella was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award this season, which goes to the best receiver in college football. He caught 102 passes for 1,698 yards, more than any receiver in the country, and 13 touchdowns. Isabella’s calling card as a receiver is his speed. He ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine in February in 4.31 seconds. Fans of Ohio high school track know what kind of speed he had before ran the 40. He and Browns cornerback Denzel Ward competed against each other in the 2015 track season multiple times in high school. In the 100-meter-dash at the 2015 OHSAA state track meet, Isabella defeated Ward. The two will meet on a football field on Dec. 15 when the Browns travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals.<doc-sep>After trading last year’s first round pick, quarterback Josh Rosen, to the Miami Dolphins for pick No. 62, the Arizona Cardinals in-turn selected UMass wide receiver Andy Isabella. The selection originally belonged to the New Orleans Saints, but became property of Miami when they made a trade down from pick No. 48. Then, when the Los Angeles Rams were on the clock at 61, the news came down that the Cardinals were trading into the next pick for Rosen a day after drafting quarterback Kyler Murray first overall. Miami also sent Arizona a 2020 fifth-round pick. “I can’t wait to get in the league and show what I’m made of,” Isabella said. “This is something I dreamed of my whole entire life.” Isabella led all NCAA receivers with 1,698 receiving yards last season and tied for fifth-most TDs with 13. At 5-foot-9 and 188 pounds, the Ohio native expects to line up in the slot based on his combine time spent with the Cardinals. “A guy that many across the country probably don’t know a lot about,” GM Steve Keim said. “But when you look up the stat log and see what he’s done against top-tier competition, teams like Georgia, South Florida, a number of different teams that we saw him play against.” Keim added that college scouting coordinator Ryan Gold and offensive quality control coach Spencer Whipple both spent time at UMass and could vouch for the player. “He had a lot of production inside and outside and that’s what’s exciting to us, is his ability to play on the outside and create space,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury said. “He’s dangerous on the inside as well. But he’s a guy that showed he could do both at a high level.” Isabella ran a 4.31 40-yard dash at the combine. “We’re extremely excited about him,” Keim said. “He brings a different skillset that we don’t currently have, which the footspeed and the explosiveness to take the top off.” The Cardinals last drafted a wide receiver in the second round last year, selecting Saguaro High School (Ariz.) product Christian Kirk from Texas A&M. Before that, they took Grambling pass-catcher Chad Williams in 2017. Isabella marks the third player the Cardinals drafted in this draft, joining Murray and Washington cornerback Byron Murphy. The Cardinals also owned the selection three picks later at No. 65, the first pick of the third round, where they selected Boston College defensive end Zach Allen. Follow @mattjlayman<doc-sep>The Arizona Cardinals have made a statement with their three picks in the 2019 NFL Draft. With the first pick, they took Kyler Murray, with the second pick they took Byron Murphy and with their third pick they take wide receiver Andy Isabella from UMass. Isabella will join Kyler Murray as the most scrutinized picks of 2019, as they are essentially the picks that took over for Josh Rosen. Isabella is an absolute dog (in a good way) though. The 5-9 188lbs Isabella was a monster at UMass, producing one of the most dominant single seasons at the wide receiver position in years. Isabella finished the 2018 season, his senior year at UMass, with 102 catches for 1698 yards and 13 touchdowns. While his size looks like a]that of a prototype slot receiver, Isabella is a menace anywhere on the field. He has elite level long speed, 4.31 forty, to go with dynamic footwork and change of direction skills. He is one of the most physically gifted and productive receivers to come out in this draft. While he will have a wake up call when it comes to the size, speed combo of NFL defensive backs, Isabella looks like a player who could have a special impact in the NFL.<doc-sep>TEMPE, Ariz. — If drafting too-short quarterback Kyler Murray on Thursday was a doubling-down by the Arizona Cardinals in keeping pace with a quickly-changing NFL, they tripled, quadrupled and quintupled down on Friday. Traditional pro-style quarterback Josh Rosen was gone, traded to the Dolphins for the 62nd pick in 2019 and Miami’s fifth-round selection next year. Arizona used that second-round choice to draft 5-foot-9 UMass slot receiver Andy Isabella. That was two picks before workout monster D.K. Metcalf, the 6-foot-3, 4.33 40-yard dasher, came off the board. The Cardinals led off Day 2 of the draft by taking cornerback Byron Murphy, presumably expecting to go with DB-heavy packages in this spreading out and speeding up pro game. The moves said a bit about the general changes in NFL philosophy — and Arizona’s focus in drafting smart, hungry football players over winners of the genetic lottery who might not optimize their talent. Fit mattered less, as evidenced by the Cardinals leaving positions of need like offensive line unaddressed. For instance, Arizona already has two presumed starting cornerbacks in Patrick Peterson and Robert Alford. “He’s going to be in the rotation somewhere,” Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury said of Murphy. “He’s that type of playmaker.” At quarterback, Rosen was the guy just a few months back. The team certainly needs receiver help, but it coming in a 188-pound package when this was on the table was notable. Andy Isabella goes before D.K. Metcalf. Not sure I saw that coming. pic.twitter.com/JSlubmXgmE — Gil Brandt (@Gil_Brandt) April 27, 2019 Isabella has the traditional statistics. A speedy player himself — Isabella recorded a 4.31 40-yard dash at the combine — he led the NCAA with 1,698 receiving yards and, according to Pro Football Focus, had the best grade as a deep threat. But in Kingsbury’s spread offense, Isabella said the Cardinals spoke to him with the expectation he will come out of the slot, not unlike renowned New England Patriots wideout Julian Edelman. “That’s a cool comparison,” Isabella said. “He’s probably going to be a Hall of Famer.” The Cardinals, however, left the door open for Isabella to play in an array of areas. Keim mentioned his ability to take the top off opposing defenses, then make the obvious comparison. “It’s funny because when I first watched him, I walked down to Kliff’s office, and if there’s any school that has great white slot receivers, it’s Texas Tech,” he said. “And I said, ‘I went back in the scouting system and I tried to look up all your buddies, whether it was (Wes) Welker, (Danny) Amendola and all those guys, they have tremendous quickness but all those guys ran in the 4.6s. “This guy ran 4.3 and has that type of quickness.” Isabella averaged 4.15 yards of production per route run, leading college football, per PFF. Even with their first pick in the third round, Boston College defensive end Zach Allen, there were signs of new NFL thinking afoot. At 6-foot-4 and 281 pounds, he’s small for an end but expects to play with hand in the dirt as a 5-technique. While Allen had 6.5 sacks and graded excellent against the run, he stood out for his eyes-up technique that led to batting down seven passes as a senior last year. “In college, I played a lot of positions … whatever they need me to play, gain weight, lose weight, special teams, sell popcorn, I’m willing to do it,” Allen said. Like Isabella and Murphy, Allen represents Arizona going smaller and smarter. And the 65th overall pick, like the rest of Arizona’s draft class so far, measures up well in terms of analytical value. Keim said Arizona got four prospects in the top 35 of their draft board in the first three rounds and 102 picks. “This guy plays like his hair’s on fire,” the GM said of Allen. “He’s relentless, he does different things from a pass-rusher standpoint that a lot of defensive ends and five techniques don’t do. So he’s a guy that not only brings the character that we’re looking for, but he brings the toughness and intensity that we’re looking for.” Zach Allen was my personal 11th best player in the 2019 NFL Draft. Safe to say, I think it's a fantastic pick for the #Cardinals. Couldn't be more confident in his future as a long-time NFL starter and much more. — Eric Galko (@EricGalko) April 27, 2019 The @AZCardinals must love our @PFF big board… all 4 picks so far have been ranked in our top 40: – Kyler Murray (1) – Byron Murphy (6) – Andy Isabella (30) – Zach Allen (40) pic.twitter.com/ia3eZGD3Ot — PFF ARZ Cardinals (@PFF_Cardinals) April 27, 2019 Follow @kzimmermanaz<doc-sep>
Andy Isabella’s journey from overlooked Ohio track star to NFL draft choice is complete. The UMass wide receiver was selected by Arizona in the second round of the NFL draft, Friday. He was the 62nd overall pick. The Cardinals selected Isabella with the pick they acquired from Miami in their trade for Josh Rosen. Isabella will team up with No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray, the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner. Both players were originally overlooked because they’re undersized. Isabella went from a possible late rate pick based on his speed to a second-round pick based on his breakthrough senior season. He caught 102 passes for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior. Any questions about the level of competition he was producing numbers against was answered when he capped his college career with 15 catches for 219 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia in the final game of his career. He received an invitation to the Senior Bowl where he caught a touchdown pass from first-round pick Daniel Jones, and the combine where he was tied for the fastest time in the 40 yard dash among receivers. He was part of a group who trained with Randy Moss as the Applied Science and Performance Institute in Florida between the season and the Senior Bowl. Isabella is the first Minuteman selected since Tennessee took Tajae Sharpe in 2016 and is highest drafted UMass player since the New York Jets took Vlad Ducasse, 61st in the second round in 2010. He’s the fourth wide receiver ever selected from UMass. NFLDraftScout.com’s Rob Rang called him a diamond in the rough: “Given his size, skin pigment and New England roots, Isabella has been unfairly typecast as a “just” a slot receiver throughout much of his career. As his 40-yard dash time emphatically proves, however, Isabella possesses the straight-line speed to offer legitimate big play ability. Of course, savvy scouts already knew that after watching him outrun a talented Georgia defense for 15 grabs for 219 yards and two scores in the 2018 season opener, as well against top competition at the Senior Bowl. Further, while short by NFL standards, Isabella is well-built and tough, showing the courage to catch passes across the middle and the determination to pinball off would-be tacklers.” Not just a slot guy, Andy Isabella holds the draft class' highest receiving grade on deep passes! #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/Zvsjeqgqqc — Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 27, 2019 Follow MassLive sports columnist Matt Vautour on Twitter at @MattVautour424.