Is Penn State's Adisa Isaac Lions' EDGE of Future?

Scouting report of potential Lions 2024 draft pick.

Adisa Isaac, Penn State / Dave Reginek, USA Today Sports

The 2024 NFL Draft is right around the corner (Thursday, April 25 - Saturday, April 27). And, the word on the street continues to be that the Lions could go in a variety of different directions with their seven total draft picks.

Detroit general manager Brad Holmes, however, is expected to make a concerted effort to continue to beef up the team's defense. 

With that said, it wouldn't come as a shock to anybody if the Lions add an EDGE complement to Aidan Hutchinson via this April's draft.

If Holmes & Co. address the EDGE position with the No. 29 overall pick, they could target a multitude of different players, including UCLA's Laiatu Latu, Penn State's Chop Robinson and Missouri's Darius Robinson.

However, if the organization opts to address the need later in the draft, another Penn State product could become a solid target: Adisa Isaac. 

The 6-foot-4, 247-pound Isaac, who's frequently been mocked anywhere from the second-third round, would be a more-than-worthwhile Day 2 find for the pass-rush needy Lions.

Isaac's pass-rush repertoire already consists of a strong bull rush and rip move, and with enough seasoning, he could become an even more well-rounded pass-rusher.

In five years and 46 total games with the Nittany Lions, Isaac – who missed the entirety of the 2021 season with an Achilles injury –  amassed 92 total tackles, including 31.5 for loss, and 14.5 sacks. 

He recorded a career-best 16 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 13 games in 2023. He also posted a 16.8 percent pressure rate, ranking seventh in the nation, and earned an 81.7 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in his final year at Penn State. 

Additionally, although it's known his run-defense skills could use some fine-tuning, he did earn a respectable run-defense grade of 82.4 from PFF in 2023.

Isaac is far from a finished product, and will still need time to develop his game at the next level.

Yet, at this present juncture, he's already a more-than-competent pass-rusher, and he'd provide Detroit with a much-needed EDGE-rushing counterpart for Hutchinson.

Because of such, Isaac would be a nice Day 2 pick for Holmes & Co., even at No. 61 overall.