Isaiah McDuffie NFL Draft Profile

The NFL Draft this week is quickly approaching, and we’re giving you profiles on all of BC’s top prospects that you could see on NFL rosters very soon. Today we look at Isaiah McDuffie, a star at LB for Boston College who really defined himself over this past season.

McDuffie had a great senior season on the Heights, as he amassed 107 tackles (good for 5th in all of the FBS), 3 sacks, 1 INT, and earned his spot on the second team All-ACC. This was especially impressive after he had a promising sophomore year but missed the majority of his junior season due to injury.

What does he bring to an NFL team?

McDuffie’s size, at 6’1” and 227 lbs., will be his biggest hurdle in getting drafted early and performing at the NFL level. He can have trouble with blockers and with coverage on TEs or bigger receivers in the middle of the field, and there’s not much evidence to suggest that he could grow past those difficulties. He has great acceleration and decent speed that allow him to make tackles in the open field or pursue a QB or other ball-carrier in front of him, but that may not be enough to get him playing time above bigger, stronger LBs who can force themselves through on the inside. McDuffie’s skillset is actually a pretty good match for special teams rather than continuing to be a starting LB.

Where will he get drafted?

You should definitely expect McDuffie to get taken in this year’s NFL draft, but don’t hold your breath until Day 3. It’s expected someone could reach for him in round 4, or maybe he slips to round 7, but he’s unlikely to fall out of that range. Rounds 5 & 6 are likely where you’ll see him get taken off the board.

Where could he go?

McDuffie has met with a lot of NFL teams multiple times and the interest is definitely there. Those teams include the Raiders, Rams, Titans, Jaguars, Ravens, Lions, Cowboys, Texans, Colts, and Patriots. Pay particular attention to the Rams and Lions, who have met with him a lot and have systems that McDuffie would fit into nicely.