Colts Claim Explosive Pass Rusher off Waivers: Film Room

The Colts bolstered their edge depth by claiming Isaiah Land off waivers from the Cowboys.

The Indianapolis Colts bolstered their relatively thin edge depth on Wednesday, claiming pass rusher Isaiah Land off of waivers from the Dallas Cowboys. Land, 23, was an UDFA in the 2023 NFL Draft that had an extremely productive collegiate career with Florida A&M.

I tabbed Land as a player to watch for the Colts in a pre-draft article that dove into several small school prospects in the 2023 NFL draft. Here is the blurb I wrote about Land back in April:

Isaiah Land leaves college football as one of the more productive overall pass rushers in years. Land had a monstrous career at Florida A&M, notching 29 career sacks in three seasons of playing time. This production reached its peak in 2021, when he led all of college football with 19(!) sacks on the season.

Land is a bit of a tweener that may have to play some off-ball in the NFL, but he has the tenacity and the athleticism to make it in the NFL.

Land seemingly carried over that collegiate production to the preseason with the Dallas Cowboys, as he totaled 10 pressures (a sack, two QB hits, and seven hurries) in just 45 pass rushing snaps. A pressure in one out of every 4.5 pass rush attempts would safely be All-Pro status in the regular season.

#Cowboys EDGE Isaiah Land finished the preseason with 10 pressures and 7 hurries on 45 pass rush-snaps, according to @PFF.

Pretty productive preseason for the UDFA.

— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) August 28, 2023

Land has some unique measureables as a pass rusher in the NFL. Standing in at 6'3" and weighing just 236 pounds, he screams more of a sub-rusher with off-ball linebacker flexibility rather than an every down edge player. He ran a blazing 4.62 in the forty yard dash (while also jumping 126 inches in the broad) but his agility scores were far below average for a player of his size.

Still, Land has the explosion, the speed, and the pass rushing pedigree to warrant a stash spot on the Colts 53 man roster. The Dallas Cowboys did want to keep him around following the preseason, but the loaded state of their edge rushing group left him as the odd man out.

On film, Land is certainly a project type of player, as he doesn't have a defined pass rush plan and his lack of overall bend does limit him on outside rushes. He does have a proper foundation to work from though, and his tenacity is apparent on every snap.

Some Isaiah Land pass rushing clips from this preseason with Dallas pic.twitter.com/4BmB0eJJBx

— Zach Hicks (@ZachHicks2) August 30, 2023

Overall, the Colts found themselves a project pass rusher worth developing in this retooling season. Land likely never hits as a star pass rusher in the league, but he has the get-off and the length to be a productive role player with a little more experience under his belt.

I like this claim a lot for the Colts and I'm personally excited to see what Gus Bradley can do with him in this attacking defensive front.

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