Isaiah McGuire, EDGE Missouri: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

McGuire was a three-star recruit from Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. in the class of 2019

The Missouri Tigers have several draft-eligible edge rushers, but none are better than Isaiah McGuire. The former three-star recruit is coming off back-to-back seasons with at least 14 tackles for loss and 35 pressures. In just over a month, McGuire will showcase his talent at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

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Isaiah McGuire, EDGE Missouri: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior defensive end from Tulsa, Okla.

Background: McGuire was a three-star recruit from Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. in the class of 2019. He was the No. 1,228 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,168 for On3.com. McGuire was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 78 grade out of 100. He led Union to the Oklahoma Class 6A-I State Semifinal game and earned All-District honors from Tulsa World in 2018.

2021 Production: 13 games, 55 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 37 pressures, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 pass defensed

2020 Production: 10 games, 18 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 12 pressures, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble

2019 Production: 6 games, 4 tackles, 2 pressures

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed the second half against New Mexico State (2022)

Awards: 2022 First-Team All-SEC (Associated Press)

Pros: Experience working from two, three, and four-point stances, creates effective displacement on stunts, successfully got Broderick Jones (2022) off balance in the run game, good speed off the snap to threaten the tackle’s outside shoulder, swim move, rip move on outside rushes, offers pursuit upside as a backside run defender, hand placement is usually ideal, appears to have above average arm length, set the edge against Auburn (2022), flattens his angle at the top of his rush to the quarterback, willing to attack the tackle’s inside shoulder, strength to play through half-man edge rush, limited instances of converting speed to power, growth from 2021 to 2022 in taking advantage of his length, latches and pulls offensive linemen to get them off balance, will carry a tackle vertically before working back to the inside shoulder

Cons: Limited special teams experience primarily on the field goal block unit, missed tackles remain a concern, appears lean throughout frame, pad level rises quickly, hand swipes miss their marks, looks uncomfortable and lost in space in coverage, lacks the power to bullrush, late timing the snap, no way to combat double teams, lacks open field speed, motor comes and goes, lacks twitch, sealed inside or outside on run plays, hands are late to activate, desire to pursue upfield sometimes opens rushing lanes, play strength, hands need to be more active and violent, some upper body stiffness

Overview: McGuire is unofficially listed at 6'4", 274 lbs. He successfully applied pressure on 13.03% of his pass rush attempts in 2021 and 13.11% through his first 12 appearances in 2022. McGuire appears most comfortable working from a two-point stance, although he has experience working from three and four-point stances as well. He was productive against the run and pass in 2022. McGuire got Georgia tackle Broderick Jones (2022) off balance in the run game and set a hard edge against Auburn (2022). He creates effective displacement on stunts and displays good speed off the snap to threaten the tackle’s outside shoulder. The former three-star recruit offers pursuit upside as a backside run defender. He has a swim move for inside rushes and a rip move for outside rushes. McGuire appears to have above-average arm length and showed significant growth from 2021 to 2022 in utilizing his long arms. He flattens his angle at the top of his rush to the quarterback but will also carry a tackle vertically before working back to the inside shoulder. There are instances of McGuire converting speed to power, but he needs to be more consistent in that area. The Oklahoma native’s hand placement is usually ideal but also has room for improvement. He latches and pulls offensive linemen to get them off balance in the passing game. McGuire is fairly lean throughout his frame to the point that he can’t play defensive end in the NFL. His pad level rises quickly, which makes his questionable play strength more noticeable. The senior lacks the power to bullrush consistently and has no way to combat double teams. Missed tackles remain a concern. McGuire lacks open-field speed and twitch. He occasionally mistimes the snap and is late off the ball and can be late to activate his hands. His hands need to be more active and violent. McGuire’s desire to push upfield and pursue the quarterback sometimes opens rushing lanes. He displays some upper body stiffness and looks uncomfortable when asked to play coverage and operate in space.

Overall, McGuire showcases veteran savvy as a run defender and enough of a pass rush repertoire to work as a rotational pass rusher as a rookie, but his lean frame and current play strength could raise concerns. McGuire is an interesting case because he has as much upside as some potential third round picks, but there’s a lower floor attached to his profile.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Late Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 12-08-22