Isaiah Bond, Texas: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Bond was a four-star recruit Buford High School in Buford, Ga. in the class of 2022

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Isaiah Bond didn’t have the 2024 campaign analysts and fans wished, but many people overlook how much an ankle injury impacted the second half of his season. Don’t be surprised if he goes higher in the 2025 NFL Draft than the consensus board currently projects.

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Isaiah Bond, WR Texas: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior wide receiver from Buford, Ga.

Background: Bond was a four-star recruit Buford High School in Buford, Ga. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 52 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 71 for Rivals, and No. 60 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 72nd in the nation with an 85 grade out of 100. Bond originally committed to Florida before flipping to Alabama. He transferred from Alabama to Texas for the 2024 season. Bond played wide receiver and cornerback and helped Buford win three consecutive Georgia 6A State Championships. He earned 6A All-State honors from the Georgia Football Coaches Association as a senior. Bond received an invitation to the All-American Bowl. He was a star on the track too. Bond won the Georgia 6A 100-meter (10.51) and 200-meter (21.19) state championships as a junior. His personal bests were 10.48 seconds in the 100-meter dash and 21.05 seconds in the 200-meter dash. Bond also ran the second leg on Buford's state championship 4x100 relay team.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2024 Vanderbilt game with an ankle injury that lingered, missed Clemson game after re-aggravating a high ankle sprain in the SEC Championship Game

Awards: N/A

Pros: Experience in the slot and out wide, explodes off the line, immediate acceleration, impressive top speed, threat to win at all three levels, field-stretching threat, speed to threaten off-man defenders, smooth mover, excellent agility, fluid athlete who dips and bends easily, gears up and down effortlessly, varies route tempo, throws good shoulder and head fakes, fluid and subtle cuts on vertical routes, sudden route breaks allow him to turn the CB or cross his face, sharp 90 degree route breaks, natural separator, manipulates leverage to create space at a high level, takes advantage of empty space underneath, stutter-go, plenty of separation on deep digs, pulls away from corners on crossing routes, stems route inside before outracing DBs on the corner route, quickly out-leverages second level defenders in zone, quickly locates holes between second and third levels of the zone, rolls with the QB when the play breaks down, comfortable making catches along the sideline, diving catches to cover for QB misfires, cut down on drop issues in 2023, speed for YAC, willing blocker

Cons: Limited special teams diversity and experience, undersized and lean build, poor arm length, rarely faced hard press, play strength limits ability to maintain path vs. press and contact, goes out of his way to avoid contact at times, bumped off route or gets stuck on mid-route contact, route running is loose and misses landmarks, route salesmanship with shoulder and head fakes needs to improve, inconsistent vertical separation at times, some body catches, size limits upside in contested catch situations, YAC upside limited by inability to break tackles, more of a straight line speedster than twitchy creator, block strength is limited

Overview: Bond’s 2024 season didn’t go as planned. A bum ankle contributed to his production dropping off a cliff in the season’s second half, but that shouldn’t entirely extinguish the excitement generated by his 2023 film. Bond played in the slot and out wide in college but projects as a full-time slot in the NFL because of his limited frame (5'10 5/8", 180 lbs. with 30 1/2" arms and 8 1/2" hands). He’s an explosive athlete whose instantaneous acceleration and top speed make him a threat to stack press and off-man coverage. Bond is a vertical threat with the agility and fluidity to dip and bend through routes at the short and intermediate levels. His ability to change gears and execute sharp cuts makes him a three-level threat. Bond uses shoulder and head fakes, varied tempo, and subtle shakes and cuts to manipulate defensive backs. He sharply rips across the cornerback’s face and breaks into space. The Georgia native is a natural separator who uses leverage to move defensive backs before beating them to space with his superior athletic gifts. He quickly out-leverages the second level of zones and has a nice feel for pockets of space between the zone’s second and third levels. Bond rarely faced hard press, and he lacks the size and mass to compete when cornerbacks get their hands on him early in plays. Press corners re-route him with limited difficulty after landing the initial jam. Bond sometimes adds extra steps to his route to take a wide berth around defenders and avoid contact. He possesses all of the traits to be an excellent route runner, but he freelances at times and misses his landmarks. He needs to show more dedication to selling his route fakes and staying on time with his pattern. Despite his impressive speed, Bond isn’t guaranteed to separate downfield. Some corners stay in his pocket, and he lacks the size to compete with these defenders in contested catch situations. The Alabama transfer is comfortable making diving catches and dragging his toes along the sideline, but he occasionally resorts to body catching. He primarily generates yards after the catch with pure speed. Bond lacks the mass to break tackles and relies more on straight line speed than twitch or elusiveness. He’s shown flashes of effort as a stalk blocker but lacks the play strength to maintain blocks for long.

Overall, Bond lacks ideal measurables, but his speed and athleticism set him apart in a deep wide receiver class. Bond easily separates with a combination of his agility and loose cuts and is an equal threat against press, off-man, and zone coverages. He projects as a vertical-stretching slot receiver with three-level viability.

Role & Scheme Fit: Featured slot receiver in an 11 personnel scheme

Round Grade: Third Round

Size: 5'10 5/8", 180 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 08-19-24

Updated: 03-10-25