It would appear that UMass wide receiver Andy Isabella might be the Pittsburgh Steelers first pre-draft visitor in 2019, if a report from Connor Livesay of SB Nation is to be believed.
#UMass WR Andy Isabella had a private workout with the #Chiefs early this morning and has an official visit scheduled with the #Steelers on Sunday.
— Connor Livesay (@ConnorNFLDraft) March 22, 2019
By all accounts, Isabella put on an impressive show at his pro day on Thursday, drawing rave reviews from the media members in attendance. This report from the event coming from Tony Pauline of Draft Analyst.
“Isabella, who worked with former All-Pro Randy Moss prior to the Senior Bowl and combine, participated in position drills and looked terrific.”
“Isabella ran scissor-sharp routes, caught the ball extremely well and consistently snatched the pass with his hands away from his frame. Despite the conditions, he looked quick and practiced to his 40 time. He also fielded punts during the day.”
UMass WR Andy Isabella "looked terrific" at his Pro Day, and I'll be more bullish on him than most. 97th percentile projections are admittingly too high, but he's got production and athleticism. Being small at WR is becoming less of a concern too.https://t.co/TS3jaVy3va pic.twitter.com/mJVdtPdlE5
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) March 21, 2019
#UMass Pro Day: The Andy Isabella Show pic.twitter.com/UVmp74cjYd
— Josh Walfish ✡️ (@JoshWalfishDHG) March 21, 2019
Isabella is expected to be a Day 2 selection and most experts have him coming off the boards somewhere in the third-round. However, given that he is projected to be a slot receiver in the NFL, it would be fair to question what value the Steelers would have for another player at that position with JuJu Smith-Schuster, Ryan Switzer and Eli Rogers already under contract for 2019.
At just 5-foot-9 and 188-pounds, Isabella is far from the physical type of receiver that Pittsburgh is often attracted to, but his 102 receptions for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns recorded during his senior season are hard to ignore.
“Andy Isabella is a player who has a much more prominent pathway to NFL success after the rule changes in recent seasons. A diminutive, non-physical player, Isabella wins with quickness and thrives in space. His best role would be as a slot/depth option on a team that looks to space the field and isolate their athletes one on one. Passing systems like the ones in KC and SF come to mind as specific favorable fits.”