NFL Draft Profile: Isaiah Land, EDGE, Florida A&M Rattlers
#31
Pos: EDGE
Ht: 6035
Wt: 236
Hand: 0928
Arm: 3248
Wing: 7748
40: 4.62
DOB:2/5/2000
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
High School: Grayson
Eligibility: 2023
Isaiah Land
Florida A&M Rattlers
One Liner:
Land will need to add more go-to moves, counters, and weight to stand a chance as an edge rusher in the NFL, but he has the agility, speed, and muscular frame to potentially be a developmental chess piece.
Evaluation:
Land worked to transform his body since joining the Rattlers, adding about 45 lbs. to his high school weight. Land is a unit, and he needs to be considering he’s completely undersized for an edge role in the NFL. Even with his weight room heroics, play strength appeared as an issue for Land in several games during the 2021 season. He lacks the anchor to set hard edges against the run and is vulnerable to being washed away by powerful linemen. Land lacks the experience and production in coverage to project as an off-ball linebacker. There were some instances where he lined up as a 7-tech and had great success rushing from that wide angle because it gave him a runway. Land’s agility, speed, and relentless motor mean he makes hustle plays in pursuit and on extended quarterback drop backs. He’s shown instances of bending around the tackle’s outside shoulder, setting up linemen with his footwork for inside shoulder moves, and attacking the tackle’s hands to give himself a free runway. However, Land only possesses mediocre bend and relies heavily on winning with pure physical tools instead of savvy. Some of the competition he faced has been truly awful, and there are clear play strength concerns attached to his profile. Land’s athleticism and potential to increase his play strength will attract NFL teams. According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Land ran a 4.6 40-yard dash this offseason and leapt 10'9" in the broad jump. Land also posted a 6.7 time in the three-cone, which would’ve been the fifth-fastest time among all players at the 2022 NFL Combine. The Florida A&M standout reportedly bench presses 375 lbs. and squats 600 lbs.
Grade:
6th Round
Background:
Land was a recruit from Grayson High School in Loganville, Ga. in the class of 2018. He didn’t receive a star ranking or national ranking from any major recruiting outlets. Land took a break from playing competitive football from age 11 until his junior season in high school, according to the Tallahassee Democrat. MaxPreps credits him with 22 tackles and seven sacks in seven games during his senior high school season. Land led all FBS and FCS defenders with 19 sacks in 2021. For this accomplishment, he earned the following honors: 2021 First-Team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference, 2021 Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, 2021 FCS First-Team All-American (Associated Press), and the 2021 Buck Buchanan Award (given to the most outstanding defensive player in the FCS). Land briefly entered the transfer portal after the 2021 season, receiving offers from Auburn, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Memphis, Texas, and UCF, but he decided to return to Florida A&M.
