"He's Relentless." Isaiah McGuire's Former Teammates Weigh in on New Browns Defensive End
"His drive, his motor," is what one of Isaiah McGuire's teammates said when describing what makes him so explosive. "He's not gonna say too much. You're going to see him before you hear him."
The Cleveland Browns elected to add a young, talented defensive end to their roster at pick 126 overall on Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft but what is it that makes him such a special talent?
"Obviously he has the intangibles, he has the size, the bend, the strength," Kristian Williams, a defensive lineman and one of McGuire's former teammates at Missouri said. "He's a passionate player and his energy is contagious. When you see him all hyped up doing the celebrations and stuff, encouraging teammates, it is all contagious and rubs off on you."
"His knack to rush the passer and him playing the run, how physical he is, those are two things that definitely stood out to me and obviously the Browns," Arden Walker, another one of McGuires former defensive lineman teammates said.
"He's relentless. He's a guy that's not gonna stop, he has extra length and he uses it very adequately," Jayden Jernigan, teammate of McGuire and defensive lineman at Missouri said.
McGuire is not the type to give a motivational speech before every game. The common theme is he tends to let his play speak for itself but when he uses his voice, players take immediate interest.
McGuire is not the type to give a motivational speech before every game. The common theme is he tends to let his play speak for itself but when he uses his voice, players take immediate interest.
"He isn't afraid to voice his opinion," Walker said. "He is respected around our locker room."
"He's not a man of many words but when he does decide to speak, people listen," Williams said.
McGuire will undoubtedly benefit from playing alongside superstar defensive end Myles Garrett in Cleveland.
"He's going to learn from Myles Garrett so well," Jernigan said. "That's one thing about Isaiah, he learns from everybody that he can learn from. He's going to learn everything from Myles Garrett and after that he's going to be a crazy relentless pass-rusher."
"As him being under Myles Garrett, I think he can definitely mold his game after him," Walker said.
Off the field, his former teammates all talked about his sense of humor and how they all enjoy being around him.
"He's really goofy. I love his humor," Walker said, McGuires roommate at Missouri.
One teammate described McGuire as "a chill, funny dude."
Jernigan talked about McGuire's leadership not only on the field, but off as well.
"He's a leader off the field, just as he is on the field," Jernigan said. "He's a good guy off the field. He's going to make a lot of friends up there [in Cleveland] and really he's going to be the best man at a lot of their weddings."
McGuire has sky-high potential in Cleveland especially considering all of the resources around him.
"As a man that's humble, hungry and grateful, I wouldn't even say the sky is the limit for him," Williams said. "I'll definitely say he'll have a great career.
A different teammate said "he can play 10-plus years. He can be that dude."