Ferguson and Isabella

Yesterday, the Cardinals’ WR coach, David Raih, spent extensive time working out WR Jazz Ferguson (6-5, 227, Northwestern St., 4.45) and Andy Isabella (5-9, 188, Massachusetts, 4.31) at their pro days.

Jazz Ferguson, the brother of prize edge rusher Jaylon Ferguson (Louisiana Tech), was a 4 star recruit who accepted a full ride to LSU, but had off the field issues (drug related) and then transferred to Northwestern St. (Louisiana).

At Northwestern St., Jazz was praised by the coaches for straightening out his life and his priorities, while performing at a high level in the program. This year Ferguson caught 66 passes for 1,113 yards (16.9 ave.) and 13 TDs. The combination of his 6-5 length and 4.45 speed has caught the attention of NFL GMs, scouts and coaches. Here is a highlight video:

Andy Isabella has been steadily sprinting up draft boards thanks to his tremendous production at UMass, his impressive performance at the Senior Bowl and his eye-popping numbers at the Combine (4.31—-40, 15 reps—-@ 225, 36.6”—-VJ, 121”—-BJ and 6.75—-3C).

Isabella showed outstanding versatility at UMass. He excelled as a wide out and as a slot WR. He runs every route on the route tree with great speed, crisp turns and acceleration. He has superb hands, although at times he tends to rely on body catches, something his pro coaches will try to help him amend. Here is a good highlight tape:

Andy Isabella ‘s production numbers are staggering:

Here are his lines from two games this year:

• vs. Liberty in a 62-59 3 OT W: 9 catches for 303 yards (33.3 ave.) and 2 TDs.
• @ Georgia in a 66-27 L: 15 catches for 219 yards (14.6 ave.) and 2 TDs.

2018 season: 102 catches for 1,698 yards (16.6 ave.) and 13 TDs, plus 11/79/7.2 ave./1 TD rushing.

Career: 231 receptions for 3,526 yards (15.3 ave.) and 30 TDs, plus 40 rushes for 342 yards (8.6 ave.) and 2 TDs.

Projections:

Jazz Ferguson is very likely a 4th or 5th round pick.

Andy Isabella could actually sneak into Round 1 because of the recent attention he’s been getting from the Kansas City Chiefs (who are looking for a speedy alternative to Tyreek Hill) and the New England Patriots (who predicate their offense around short to intermediate passes to slot WRs, TEs and RBs).

I believe that the Cardinals would like to come out of this draft with a complimentary pair of WRs (speedy slot WR and an athletic tall WR). Ferguson and Isabella would appear to fit that bill.

I also believe that if Andy Isabella is still on the board at the top of the second round, he will be one of their top targets at pick #33. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why the Cardinals hired Isabella’s passing game coordinator at UMass, Spencer Whipple, the son of former UMass head coach Mark Whipple.

At the time the Cardinals hired Whipple, Isabella was thought of as a 3rd round pick. But, the Senior Bowl and Combine changed all of that. Today, Isabella appears to be lock as a top 50 pick.

Perhaps like Ferdinand and Isabella did for Christopher Columbus, Ferguson and Isabella can help Kliff Kingsbury launch the discovery of an exciting “new world.”