Draft Analysis: Isaiah Bond

April 10, 2025 /
  • Height: 5’10”
  • Weight: 180 lbs.
  • College: Texas
  • Tape watched: Auburn (Alabama 2023), Michigan, Georgia, UTSA
  • NFL Comparison: Phillip Dorsett

Pros

  • Speed

Isaiah Bond has true field stretching speed. He may not have come close to backing up his goal of breaking the combine record, but his speed is the truth. He burns through gears and gets to his top speed instantaneously. He loses minimal pace when bending or cutting vertically.

Midline

  • Hands

Bond generally has adequate ball skills for the NFL. He had very minimal drops in college. His hand size and arm length are severely limiting, however.

  • YAC

Unless given generous amounts of space, Bond is not a high-end YAC threat. Bond can split defenses and turn corners for 6, but broken tackles and missed-tackles-forced are few and far between.

  • Release

Where he falls short in size and strength, Bond makes up for his lateral agility and twitchy-ness. He had glimpses of keeping his center mass low and protected, but if defenders get hands on him, he rarely escapes on time. Bond can be erased from plays by good press corners.

Cons

  • Contested Catches

Contested situations are not a strong suit for Isaiah Bond. Contact affects his focus and catch-point strength. He is not big enough or strong enough to use his body to shield off defenders. His short arms do not create advantageous space for combat catches, either.

  • Route Running

Bond has some serious work to do transitioning to the NFL with his route running. Popping back to the quarterback, rounding his cuts, and drifting up field are all issues Bond faces. He is no doubt a deep threat with an average depth of target of 14.6 yards. Bond struggles to create separation in a horizontal plane. Some of his issues are from his play strength and the ability of the corner to stay attached to his hip. His 1.78 yards per route run is a serious red flag indicator. Ignoring the ankle injury of 2024, his final Alabama season was marginally better at 2.02.

A good example of Bond’s ability to change directions and stem defenders out of position.
Bond stops at the top of his route and allows the defender to play through the catch point for an interception.
  • Size

Bond finds himself in historically low percentiles in height, weight, hand size, and arm length. It is hard to maintain an NFL career at this size, let alone a successful one. With the absence of elite measurables elsewhere, it will be an uphill climb for Bond in the NFL.

Overview

The idea of Isaiah Bond seems greater than the results and reality of his play. With a speed score well under what was proposed, and honestly expected at his size, Bond needs to find other ways to win on the field. His route running on tape falls short in the separation department.

On a vertical plane, Bond is among the top receivers in the class. He is a big play waiting to happen and can quite literally disappear behind safeties. He certainly has his place in an offense, given he can stay healthy.