Scouting the 2023 NFL Draft: Isaiah Foskey, Edge, Notre Dame

Notre Dame edge rusher Isaiah Foskey enters the 2023 NFL Draft as the Fighting Irish all-time sack leader following a successful career that included 41 games, 121 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, and 25 sacks.

Foskey’s best season came in 2022 when he finished with 44 tackles and career-highs in tackles for loss (13.5) and sacks (10.5). He finished his Notre Dame career with back-to-back seasons of 10 or more sacks.

Foskey joined Notre Dame after a successful high school career at De La Salle. He was a four-star prospect and a top-25 player in California during his recruiting cycle.

Physically, Foskey presents with an impressive frame. At 6047 and 262 pounds, he’s a well-built athlete rocked up with muscle. He possesses good overall strength, although he sometimes struggles to disengage from quality offensive tackles. He’ll need to prove early in his career that NFL tackles can’t overpower him. Foskey possesses good length with an unofficial 33 4/8-inch arms. (*Official arm length will be edited into post after Senior Bowl and NFL Combine). Foskey looks the part of a 4-3 defensive end but can play from a two-point stance in a pinch.

Athletically, Foskey has good straight-line speed but is tightly wound and struggles to change direction. He isn’t very flexible in the hips or ankles and doesn’t profile as an edge rusher who will consistently beat pass protectors with speed and bend around the corner. There’s plenty of twitch and get-off to compete early in pass-rush reps, but he’ll have to win with a linear attack. His length and angles help him be effective in space, but skill players with wiggle will be a problem for him.

As a pass rusher, Foskey’s production at Notre Dame cannot be ignored. But, sometimes, college production can be a bit misleading. Foskey doesn’t profile as a double-digit sacker in the NFL and is more likely a rotational piece. His straight-ahead style and experienced repertoire of rush moves will serve him well on passing downs, and his high-energy style will help him clean up plays forced into his area. But Foskey isn’t a “get off and get him” type of edge rusher.

Against the run, Foskey’s strength and length help him set the edge and provide a reliable run defense. He finishes nicely with sound tackling and pop behind his pads. He generally takes good angles and plays like an experienced defender. His straight-line speed helps him stay active in pursuit against plays run away from him, and his afore-mentioned strength at the point of attack is an asset in power plays run at him. Despite his sack production, Foskey may be a better run defender than a pass-rusher in the pros.

Overall, Foskey is a good football player who will be part of an active rotation for as long as he stays healthy. He doesn’t possess elite traits, however, and it’s difficult envisioning him as a highly productive starter at this point in his development. He should begin his career as a depth edge defender and situational pass-rusher until he proves he’s flexible enough to win in multiple ways.

Grade: Third round

How Isaiah Foskey fits the Chicago Bears

Foskey is a good Day-2 target for the Bears in the 2023 NFL Draft. He offers a blend of traits that the Bears lack right now, namely an average to above-average skill set in all aspects of edge defense. His physical profile fits Chicago’s 4-3 system as a defensive end. While I don’t envision him being a double-digit edge rusher in the NFL, he’ll at least threaten as a pass-rusher, which is more than what Chicago has on its roster at the time of this evaluation. He’d upgrade the run defense, too. Foskey would compete for an every-down starting job on the 2022 Bears. Whether he’d rank that high on their depth chart in 2023 depends on free-agency and what GM Ryan Poles does with any picks in the early rounds.