The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Isabella blazes in 40-yard dash at combine
After snafu with timing, Mayfield grad’s time of 4.31 seconds ties for first
There was plenty of buzz surrounding wide receiver 40-yard dash times at the NFL Scouting Combine on March 2.
None created more of a stir in Indianapolis than Andy Isabella’s — in more ways than one.
On the Mayfield graduate’s first attempt — televised by NFL Network — it was posted Isabella ran the 40 in 4.56 seconds, which would have been disappointing for the recordsetting wide receiver from UMass.
However, replays showed the NFL Network’s clock started nearly three-tenths of a second before Isabella began his sprint. ESPN’s Field Yates reported there was a laser issue on the field during Isabella’s 40-yard run. A source told Yates that Isabella’s time was 4.27 — well, almost.
After the snafu was corrected, Isabella’s time was posted as 4.31 seconds — which was tied for first among wide receivers with Ohio State’s Paris Campbell.
Despite being undersized at 5-foot-8 and 186 pounds, Isabella’s sizzling time could be a sign he will be picked no later than Day 2 of the NFL Draft in either Rounds 2 or 3. He might even generate talk as a first-round pick as the draft approaches.
“There’s going to be a lot of buzz about Andy now,” said Mayfield football coach Ross Bandiera. “I figured he would be the talk of the Combine, but not this way.”
Bandiera was speaking, of course, about the timing issue during Isabella’s 40, which he did not see live because he was in Pittsburgh attending a football coaches convention on March 2.
One of the speakers at the event was former UMass coach Mark Whipple, who coached Isabella for four years and is now the offensive coordinator for the Pitt Panthers. Whipple’s hour-long presentation was titled, “Getting
your best player in explosive situations.”
“All the highlights during the presentation were of Andy,” said Bandiera. “You should have heard everyone in the crowd. They were like, ‘Wow, I’d get this kid the ball too!’ “
As for his reaction about Isabella’s 40 time, Bandiera said: “Wow, that’s just amazing. All his training has paid off for him, but it’s not surprising. But to do that on that big of a stage, his speed speaks for himself.”
Isabella’s and Campbell’s 40 times were in the ballpark but did not reach an uber blazing level for Combine standards.
The fastest recorded hand-timed 40 was at the 2017 NFL Combine when Bengals receiver John Ross ran a 4.22. The fastest
previous time of 4.24 seconds was held by former NFL running back Chris Johnson.
Former two-sport star and 1985 Heisman Trophy winner Bo Jackson said he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.13 seconds at the 1986 Combine.
UMass does have an upcoming pro day scheduled before the draft, but Isabella recently told The News-Herald if he performed well at the Combine, he would likely let those results stand and not participate.
“I’m sure Andy’s agent will tell him he doesn’t need to do the pro day,” said Bandiera.
California-based agent Mike Swenson said this after the Senior Bowl about his client’s prospects at the Combine in the 40 after Isabella told reporters in Mobile,
Ala., he ran a 40 in 4.26 seconds while in high school:
“If he’s anywhere close to (that time), it will be lights out,” Swenson told The News-Herald. “Anything below 4.4 (seconds), it will really blow up for him.”
This past season, Isabella had 102 catches, 1,698 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top receiver. He was also named to seven All-America teams.
With pre-draft buzz expected to build, don’t expect Isabella to lose course.
“I have still have a lot of work, and a lot to prove,” Isabella told The NewsHerald the week of the Combine. “Having a chip is something I always have. That’s what motivates me.”