New Orleans Saints Are Getting A High Ceiling Edge Rusher In Isaiah Foskey

Examining the fit for Isaiah Foskey with the New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints picked former Notre Dame star pass rushing Isaiah Foskey with the 40th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. New Orleans is getting a talented and productive edge rusher with a lot of potential.

Foskey entered the 2022 season with some high expectations. Those centered around the potential impact that he could have on the team, as well as the rise that he could have moving up draft boards. Unfortunately Foskey’s season was marred by some inconsistent play along the way.

The California pass rusher was still very productive in 2022, racking up a career high 14 tackles for loss and tying his career high with 11 more sacks. Foskey finished his career as the all-time leader in sacks for Notre Dame, finishing his tenure with 26.5 total sacks.

Foskey recorded 11 sacks in 2021 as well, his first full season as a starter. He showed his promise in 2020 while finishing second on the team with 4.5 sacks while serving as a key member of the Notre Dame defensive line rotation.

With that resume and obvious physical gifts, the 6-5, 264-pound defensive lineman was selected to participate in both the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Not bad for a player who ranked outside of the top 200 recruits on all the major recruiting platforms when he was coming out of De La Salle.

THE FIT

The New Orleans Saints said goodbye this off-season to former first round pick Marcus Davenport, leaving some uncertainty with who will work opposite of Pro Bowl pass rusher Cameron Jordan. Foskey should figure into that conversation quickly, fighting for reps alongside 2021 first round pick Payton Turner.

Historically, the Saints have been drawn to power rushers who have the ability to create speed to power. That fits right into Foskey’s profile.

WHAT FOSKEY BRINGS

Power, length, and more power is the name of the game for Foskey. His pass rush plan right now centers around overwhelming opposing offensive tackles. On the NFL level, that might not work as well. The good news is that Jordan provides the veteran perspective quickly and should allow for growth. If Foskey is able to tap into his full profile, he’s special.

Despite the need for technical enhancement and development of his pass rushing repertoire, Foskey was still highly productive, racking up 22 sacks in the last two seasons. He became the first defender in Notre Dame history to register back-to-back double digit sack seasons.

You saw what makes Foskey unique at the NFL Scouting Combine, when he put up elite athletic testing numbers for a player his size. Foskey ran a 4.58 at 264 pounds and posted a 34-inch vertical jump. When he won on the edge in college it was due to his combination of length, power and first-step burst.

It’s all about refinement of his skills, and harnessing his combination of explosiveness, power and length.

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