Isaiah McGuire Scouting Report and NFL Draft Player Profile
2023 NFL Draft Measurements
Isaiah McGuire 40-Yard Dash Time – 4.76
6’4” / 275 lbs.
Isaiah McGuire Draft Profile
Isaiah McGuire is a former 3-star recruit from Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. According to 247sports, McGuire was the 18th best player in the state of Oklahoma in the 2019 recruiting class. He was also the 98th highest-ranked strongside defensive end in the nation. While achieving this status, he received offers from five Division I programs, with only one being from a power-five conference. This school was the University of Missouri. Only a few months after receiving the Missouri offer, he decided he wanted to play for the Tigers.
According to MUTigers, McGuire got to play in six games as a true freshman. In those six games, he racked up 4 solo tackles, all of which were against Troy. As a sophomore, he started in five games and racked up 22 tackles, 3 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. McGuire had significantly more snaps as a junior. He started in all 13 games where he had 55 tackles, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery. Finally, as a senior, he started in all 12 games of the season. He finished the season with 39 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles.
Strengths
Active Hands
Isaiah McGuire does a very good of constantly using his hands throughout his pass rush. When engaging in contact, he does a good job keeping his hands high and tight on the opposing offensive lineman’s breastplate. This allows him to force the lineman back, applying pressure on the QB. McGuire is also good at knocking away the offensive lineman’s hands, consistently giving him leverage throughout his rush. When McGuire needs to disengage a block, he has violent hands and upper body strength to move blockers out of the way. This allows him to cover a gap in run defense or pressure the QB on pass plays.
Stopping the Run
Although McGuire is effective against both run and pass plays, he is best against the run. As I briefly mentioned earlier, he is good at using his violent hands to move blockers out of the way. Then, he can cover the B gap on inside zone runs. He can also penetrate the outside of the line allowing him to leverage the C gap against outside zone runs. If he is not able to shed a block, he does a good job of neutralizing the blocker, not allowing them to open up a lane. This forces the ball carrier to get creative and buys the defense more time to make a play.
Athleticism
Isaiah McGuire has an incredible blend of size, speed, and power. He has a good get-off that allows him to be the first to engage in contact, immediately giving him leverage. This is due to his amazing explosiveness and initial quickness out of a 2 and 3-point stance. When he is running the arc, he has good body lean that allows him to bend the edge. This forces the QB up into the pocket where he can cut back inside and make a tackle. McGuire does a good job of staying balanced throughout his pass rush. Then he can use his lower body strength to force the blocker off-balance.
Pass Rushing Moves
Although McGuire needs to slightly improve on polishing his pass rush, he is still pretty effective. As I just mentioned, when he is running the arc, he shows good body lean to bend the edge and apply pressure on the QB. The one pass-rush move that McGuire possesses that consistently caught my eye was his rip technique. When applying the rip technique, he does a good job of keeping his arm in the armpit of the blocker. He also keeps his pad level low allowing him to stay below the blocker and get around them.
Even though McGuire consistently wins when going around the blocker, he also has a good bull rush. When bull rushing, he does a good job of keeping his hands high and tight on the offensive lineman’s breastplate. He also does a good job of keeping his pad level low so he can drive the opposing lineman upward. By forcing the lineman vertical, he is able to force them into the backfield, therefore closing down the pocket.
Weaknesses
Pursuing the Ball Carrier
The one major concern that I have about McGuire is his inefficiency to pursue the ball carrier. Although he is good at making a play on the ball carrier in the backfield, he lacks the top-end speed needed to catch them. McGuire also lacks the ability to maneuver through traffic to make a play on the ball carrier. I also have concerns about his motor on run plays if he doesn’t stuff them in the backfield. More often than not, if the ball carrier was moving in the opposite direction, McGuire gave up on the play and jogged toward the ball.
Isaiah McGuire Draft Stock
When looking at other big boards, many people project Isaiah McGuire to go undrafted. If he goes undrafted, whatever team signs him is going to be very happy. After watching his film, I have McGuire graded as a late 5th to early 6th-round pick. This is because he has a lot of upside against the run and can act as a rotational defensive end or outside linebacker against the run in the NFL.
Final Thoughts on Isaiah McGuire
Isaiah McGuire was one of the most underrated EDGE rushers in the SEC this past season. When the ball is snapped, McGuire is very good at keeping his hands busy throughout his rush. He does a good job of keeping his hands high and tight on the breastplate of the blocker. This puts his hands in the perfect place to move defenders out of the way so he can leverage the B or C gap. After leveraging the gap, he does a good job of stopping the ball carrier in the backfield.
McGuire is also very athletic given his above-average size and frame. He is very explosive out of a 2 and 3-point stance. This allows him to engage in contact first and force the lineman off balance. McGuire does need to improve his pass rush ability, but he does do a good job of bending the edge and closing down the pocket. In order for McGuire to be consistent in the NFL, he needs to work on pursuing the ball carrier and maneuvering through traffic.
Isaiah McGuire Player Comparison
Isaiah McGuire’s presence in the run game reminds me a lot of current Green Bay Packers EDGE Kingsley Enagbare. Although Enagbare has a little more upside to his game, they have very similar scheme fits and need to improve their ability against the passing game.
Isaiah McGuire Scouting Report and Player Profile Analyst – Matthew Lewis
