Isaiah McDuffie 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Position: Linebacker
Height: 6’1.2
Weight: 227 lbs
School: Boston College
Pro Day Stats
40-Yard Dash: 4.61
225 Lb. Bench Reps: 25
Vertical Jump: 32 1/2
Broad Jump: 10’01”
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.33
3-Cone Drill: 7.26
Isaiah McDuffie 2021 NFL Draft Profile
Overview
Born in Buffalo, New York, McDuffie attended Bennett High School where he played both the linebacker and wide receiver positions. In his senior year, McDuffie completed 111 tackles with seven of them for loss, three sacks, five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one interception. Additionally, he rushed for 1,531 yards with 21 touchdowns. He was a two-time USA Today New York First-Team All-State Selection and a three-time All-Western New York Performer. He helped lead his team to a 2016 Section VI Class A Championship. McDuffie earned USA Today New York Defensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year honors. McDuffie also received Buffalo News Class A MVP Honors.
He was ranked the fourth-best New York prospect by Rivals.com, the #12 best by ESPN.com, and the second-best outside linebacker prospect by Scout.com. He has the school single-season records in tackles, single-game tackles, career touchdowns, and yards. McDuffie committed to Boston College.
During his freshman year, McDuffie had one solo and seven assisted tackles with one pass broken up. In his sophomore season, McDuffie completed 48 solo and 38 assisted tackles with two passes broken up and three and a half sacks. During the junior season, he had 24 solo and six assisted tackles with two sacks. In his redshirted junior year, McDuffie had 54 solo and 53 assisted tackles with three sacks and one interception.
In 2019, McDuffie received Pre-Season All-ACC honors. He received All-ACC Second-Team honors in 2020 while leading his school in tackles and ranking fifth in the U.S. Against Notre Dame, he had a career-best 16 tackles, which tied for second-best in the ACC all season. McDuffie had a career-high in tackles for loss and sacks against Texas State.
Strengths
- Tough, physical, and aggressive play;
- Fast, athletic, and agile;
- Disciplined in attack and doesn’t take unnecessary penalties;
- A hard worker who always gives max effort and competes;
- Experience on special teams.
Weaknesses
- Can be outmatched and outmaneuvered by faster players when attempting to tackle;
- Can be too aggressive at times, causing him to react before analyzing the situation;
- Undersized leading him to be outmuscled and pushed aside relatively easy;
- Once caught in a block, he is unable to get away;
- Has he hit his ceiling physically and athletically?
Player Comparison: Shaquem Griffin
Teams With Need At Position: Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders
Draft Projection: Fifth Round
Bottom Line on Isaiah McDuffie
Isaiah McDuffie is a fierce competitor with good athleticism that is best suited for outside linebacker duties. He is disciplined in avoiding penalties but overaggressive in attacking the ball carriers before analyzing the play. His lack of size would severely hinder any inside linebacker attempts and would stifle his speed. McDuffie has all the tools to be a quality backup linebacker in the NFL, the question teams may ask is if there is more growth left untapped?
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