OWINGS MILLS — Ravens rookie outside linebacker Adisa Isaac draws strength and inspiration from his siblings.
His oldest brother, Kyle, has cerebral palsy. Another older brother, Y’ashua, and his younger sister, Tadj, have autism, which affects their ability to speak.
The disabilities have never affected their relationship.
“We’re all close,” Isaac said. “They are all nonverbal, so you may think it’s challenging to communicate with them or whatnot, but I feel like just growing up with them my whole life, [they are] just my siblings, my brother and my sisters. I treat them the same, so it’s nothing new. I feel like it’s just like how you would treat your brother or talk to your brother. We laugh. We joke. We play fight, just everything.
“I love them to death, and I thank them for just the motivation and inspiration to be in my life. I thank them for everything. They are the reason I’m doing everything I do.”
The Ravens selected Isaac in the third round (93rd overall) of the 2024 NFL draft. Last season, Isaac started all 13 games for Penn State and finished with 37 tackles (23 solo), 16 tackles for loss, 7 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Isaac is expected to make an impact as a pass rusher with former Nittany Lions teammate Odafe Oweh.
Isaac is the type of player the Ravens embrace — hardworking, smart, and resilient.
Issac showed that resilience after an Achilles injury ended his 2021 season. He returned the following year and started all 13 games, finishing with 28 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four sacks, and eight quarterback hurries. He earned All-Big Ten third-team honors.
“I feel like after I got hurt [in] that 2021 season, it opened my mind to a lot … being able to watch more, not having to do certain things, it puts a newer frame on your mindset, and that’s kind of what I developed over that time in that year,” Isaac said.
“It made my whole standard when I think back to that 2022 season rolling into that 2023 season, and then just building … Just learning from the injury – the adversity taught me a lot, good and bad. It kind of made me a ball of positivity and kind of sprung me into that 2023 season where I was just extra confident, farther away from my injury. [I had] great coaching. I was better and stronger when I left here … so that’s just a credit to them. I owe it to them today. They did a lot for me.”
Isaac will need time to develop into an effective edge rusher in the NFL, but the Ravens like his potential.
“Most of these guys need some development when they get to this level, as pass rushers,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said. “But what I like about [Adisa Isaac] is [that] he’s got great length, which is a critical factor. He’s got heavy hands, he’s got some different moves, he’s got speed and quickness, and I think he’s tenacious. And so, I think [that] all of those things … When you think about our best pass rushers, I think [that] those are a lot of the traits that those guys have, so we’re very excited.”