AMHERST — Four years ago, the thought of Andy Isabella being an NFL draft pick was a fever dream.
He was a 5-foot-9, 187-pound freshman who was a late addition to UMass’ 2015 recruiting class because of his track speed, and held just one other Division I football offer. He played running back at Mayfield High School – which is located 20 miles east of Cleveland – and was listed as such for most of his first year in Amherst while earning three rushing attempts and catching two passes. Even as he showed significant improvement over the next two years, Isabella entered the 2018 season as an intriguing pro prospect but not a guaranteed draft pick.
Everything came together for Isabella in 2018 as he shredded the record book and skyrocketed up draft boards. He led the country with a UMass-record 1,698 yards receiving and broke the school’s career mark with 3,526 yards. It all culminated in his crowning performance at Georgia – UMass’ final game of the season – when he torched the fifth-ranked Bulldogs for 219 yards on 15 catches.
“He’s humble, he keeps his mouth shut and he just steps out on the field, has fun and performs well,” linebacker Bryton Barr said after UMass’ pro day in March. “He was a walk-on and he just put in the work each and every day, a bunch of people telling him no and he’s worked even harder and made a huge name for himself. He’ll be on a team soon and I’m excited to see what God has planned for him.”
The game against Georgia was the beginning of a whirlwind journey for Isabella that thrust him into the national spotlight. He was a consensus All-American, a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, was invited to play in the Senior Bowl in January and work out at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. He went down to Mobile, Alabama, and was the MVP for the North team at the Senior Bowl then proceeded to run a 4.31-second 40-yard dash at the combine to tie for the fastest of the 2019 event.
By the time UMass held its pro day, what was supposed to be his day to shine in front of the scouts turned into a session filled with private workouts with teams while his former teammates tried to impress the NFL visitors. No one who follows the draft could forget Isabella’s name as he was hailed as an under-the-radar player to watch by almost every national publication. Yet everything that was written about him leading into the draft were things those who watched UMass already knew.
“Everybody is kind of seeing what we all saw here for the last couple of years,” quarterback Andrew Ford said at pro day. “He’s the hardest worker wherever he goes, he’s the smartest guy wherever he goes. He’s going to make some team really happy for the next couple of years. He’s not surprising anybody in Amherst, but he’s starting to turn some heads around the country for sure.”
It is unlikely Isabella will hear his name called Thursday when the first round of the NFL Draft takes place in Nashville, Tennessee, but there is a good chance he will be selected Friday in either the second or third round. He is slated to be the highest-drafted UMass player in the FBS era and will almost certainly be off the board before any Minuteman since offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse was a second-round pick of the New York Jets in 2010 as the 61st overall selection.
Whenever Isabella hears his name called, his teammates will celebrate the success of one of the most popular guys in the UMass locker room. Isabella’s journey to the pros is an inspiration, and all of his past teammates said one NFL team is going to get a steal in the draft.
“I always call myself a wolf, but he’s definitely an alpha, he’s always leading the pack,” running back Marquis Young said at pro day. “(He’s) somebody I can follow every day. He’s the first person in the locker room, the last person to leave, his work ethic is impeccable. He’s definitely a role model to the players here, he’s a role model to me – I look up to him – and he’s finally getting what he deserves.”