With Patriots presumably eyeing WR help, UMass' Andy Isabella might be a late-round possibility

Could the Patriots’ next underdog story at wide receiver come from their own backyard?

Mark Whipple was the head coach at UMass the last five seasons, and got an up close look at Andy Isabella. And what struck him even more than the numbers — 231 catches in four years — was Isabella's almost exhausting commitment to the game.

“Last February, I’m in my office overlooking the stadium, and I look out, and I see someone out there in a big jacket, shoveling snow and looking like he’s clearing a path,” Whipple said.



“It was Andy. He opened up an area, and started running sprints.”

A 5-foot-10, 190-pounder out of UMass, Isabella had 231 receptions for 3,526 yards and 30 touchdowns in three-plus seasons with the Minutemen. (He had just a pair of catches his freshman year.) This past year, he had 102 receptions for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns, and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the country’s top collegiate wide receiver. The resume was enough to draw the attention of former Patriots’ legend Randy Moss, who spent some time working with him between the end of the season and the combine.

As a result, the former Minuteman now stands on the cusp of the biggest professional opportunity of his career — when the receivers have their on-field workouts at the combine Saturday, the former high school track star will have his chance to impress on a national level.

“He’s probably one of the five hardest workers I’ve coached in my career,” said Whipple, who is now the offensive coordinator at Pitt. “You have to tell him to knock it off and take a break. He’s also a really intelligent guy who gets football, and has always had tremendous respect from his teammates. He’s someone who has worked hard at his craft, and he takes coaching well.”

Isabella was always fast, but as a high schooler, he made an impression on Mayfield (Ohio) High coach Ross Bandiera in the winter of his junior year when he broke the national high school record in the 60-meter dash with a 6.72.

“That was the moment where I said, ‘This kid, he’s a stud.’ He’s not just fast for the conference or fast for the state. He’s nationally fast.'”

A standout career at Mayfield didn’t make an impression with bigger colleges. But after seeing his tape, Whipple saw the video highlights and the 60-yard dash time, and offered him a scholarship the week before signing day over the phone.

“We kind of took him sight unseen,” recalled Whipple.

That led to an impressive run at UMass for the occasionally offensively-challenged Minutemen, where he was easily the best thing about the football program. In 2018, he led the country in receiving yards per game (141.5) and was named to the College Football All-America Team.

Now, he’s trying to make the leap to the next level. When it comes to the notion of a small-school star struggling when he’s asked to step up in weight class. Whipple is quick to remind people some of Isabella’s best games came against some of the best competition in the country. In 2017, he had 158 yards on seven receptions and a TD against Mississippi State, then seven for 84 yards and a score vs. BYU.

And there was his college finale this past November against Georgia where he had 15 catches for 219 pads and a pair of touchdowns.

“There were situations where everyone in the building knew the ball was going to him, and he still made the play,” Whipple said of Isabella, who accounted for 1,155 yards from scrimmage overall last season for the Minutemen.

You look at the size, and you instantly think “slot receiver.” But that would be a mistake. Moss told NFL.com that when it comes to Isabella, he doesn’t look at height, saying there are plenty of receivers who survive as outside threats who might be considered undersized.

“There are smaller guys still out there doing it on the outside," Moss said. "Andy's athletic ability is tops. I can see why he put up the numbers he put up."

“I would worry about people trying to pigeonhole him into being a slot guy,” Whipple said. “He can play the slot, but he can also play outside. As a senior, I was hoping to have him in the slot more, but we really had him all over the field. He has the speed, and he also has the ability to get off press coverage. Last year, we were kind of devoid of speed, so we used him to take the top off the defenses.”

As for how Isabella might get connected with the Patriots, three things come to mind. One, while his straight-line speed is astounding, the Patriots like their receivers and defensive backs to have elite-level short-area quickness. While his 3-cone time and short shuttle time will bear watching, Bandiera said that isn’t an issue.

“I think he fits right in with those guys,” Bandiera said of previous Patriots’ draft picks with good short-area quickness. “He has a great burst. Watching him, his cuts and how precise he is and how he breaks out of them and catches the ball, that isn’t an issue.”

Two, if there’s anyone who can vouch for him, it’s Moss, a guy who is held in the highest esteem by Bill Belichick. If Isabella gets the Moss seal of approval, it would go a long way toward him landing with the Patriots.

“Such a great chance for him to work with Moss and soak up that knowledge,” said Bandiera.

And three, if you’re a late-round receiver possibility for New England, your odds of sticking around are greatly increased if you have special-teams value. Isabella worked as a punt and kick returner over the course of his career at UMass, including 17 kick returns for an average of 18.5 yards per chance as a freshman and seven punt returns for an average of 7.9 yards per return as a senior.

“He’s returned punts, and he did some kickoff work,” Whipple said. “When it comes to special teams, he’s not afraid to go down and tackle somebody.”

In the end, regardless of his combine performance this week, he appears to be a Day 3 type of pick who checks a lot of the boxes the Patriots would be looking for when it comes to a late-round receiving prospect. While a lot can happen between now and draft weekend, the idea of putting a little more “New England” in the “New England Patriots” with the selection of a UMass product like Isabella would sit well with his former coaches Whipple and Bandiera.

“The league right now is looking four guys like him, with smaller, quicker versatile receivers like Julian Edelman and Tyreek Hill,” said Bandiera. “Those quick guys who can play multiple spots can put up big numbers. Given the chance, I think Andy might be able to do the same.”