Now that the draft has been completed teams and analysts are taking stock of the rookies and which ones are poised to contribute right away. For the Baltimore Ravens, there could be a few options but according to Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine it could be edge rusher Adisa Isaac that could be amongst the “Surprising Rookie Gems”.
Ballentine wrote, “Every year, there are rookies who come from nowhere to stand out in their draft class. This season will be no exception.”
The Ravens drafted Isaac with the 93rd overall pick in the third-round after addressing CB and OT with their first couple picks.
“The 22-year-old is a strong athlete who posted an 8.99 relative athletic score and can at least be effective as a blitzer as a rookie,” Ballentine wrote. The Ravens led the league in sacks with 60.0 during 2023, so Isaac is coming into a situation where defensive coordinator Zach Orr might let him loose.
Despite leading the league in sacks, Ballentine explains, “They led the league in sacks with 60 on the season, but they were 23rd in pressure percentage and ninth in pass rush win rate.”
Hopefully the addition of Isaac will improve the latter numbers while maintaining the rate of sacks as a rookie.
Adisa Isaac Will Attempt to Fill Openings Left in Free Agency
The Ravens lost a couple of their key rushers through free agency, as their No. 2 (Jadeveon Clowney) and No. 5 (Patrick Queen) sack leaders left for new teams.
Ballentine wrote, “Jadeveon Clowney was the team’s top edge-rusher. His pass rush win rate of 25 percent was fifth among all edges.” DT Justin Madubuike was the top sack-getter with 13.0, but it was Clowney on the edge who created enormous pressure.
Clowney left for his hometown Carolina Panthers this offseason, so Orr will need to attempt to replicate that production. Kyle Van Noy was the team’s third leading sack-artist with 9.0, but as Ballentine points out, “Van Noy is 33 years old…so there’s a void that will need to be filled in the Ravens’ offense.”
The Ravens have young players waiting in the wings, but as of right now they are mostly unproven. “Odafe Oweh will have to step up, and the Ravens would love for David Ojabo to get healthy and live up to his billing as a 2022 second-round pick,” Ballentine advised.
Oweh has shown flashes of superstar talent and had 5.0 sacks last season but will be expected to be more consistent in 2024.
The Ravens will need Oweh and Ojabo to step up if they plan to compete for a Super Bowl, but Ballentine writes, “Don’t count out third-round pick Adisa Isaac from picking up some of the slack, though.”
Adisa Isaac Will Need to Improve to Be a Game-Breaker
Expecting Isaac to come in and reproduce what Clowney provided would be unrealistic as the third-round pick will need to acclimate to the professional level.
Ballentine wrote, “Oweh’s former Penn State teammate is a little undersized at 6’4″, 247 pounds but actually excelled against the run as a Nittany Lion.”
Isaac may need to put on some more weight and muscle if he wants to make a larger impact on the next level.
“He posted 16 tackles for loss but also showed the ability to wrong-arm oncoming blocks or set a hard edge depending on his responsibility,” Ballentine advised.
Isaac does need to work on his technique according to BR to be more consistent though. Ballentine wrote, “B/R scout Matt Holder did note Isaac is a little unrefined. His hand placement isn’t consistent and he needs to develop more pass-rush moves.”
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