Miami rushers averaged 1.9 yards before contact last season (25th in NFL). Asiata is a mean run blocker who should compete for reps on a talent-barren unit. --Mark Dulgerian
6'3" Height
33 3/4" Arm Length
323LBS. Weight
10 3/8" Hands
Overview
Isaac is the cousin of former Utah and current Minnesota Vikings running back Matt Asiata. After serving a two-year church mission in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he shared the starting role at right tackle in 2013. Asiata (ah-see-ah-ta) has started every game since then, mostly at left guard (with seven games at right guard in 2014). He garnered honorable mention All-Pac-12 notice as a junior and second-team accolades as a senior. Asiata swapped jerseys with injured center J.J. Dielman in October 2016 as a sign of support for his fallen teammate.
Analysis
Strengths
Big body for the interior. Adds roster flexibility. Has played both guard spots and can play center if needed. Plays with outstanding aggression on the field. Doesn't just look for extra work, he demands it. Hard worker. Gives maximum effort to take the lead in early portion of a block. Effective lateral skip step puts him in position to make his reach blocks. Rarely gets cheated on initial contact, landing powerful shoulders that jar defenders. Has power to uproot defenders in base blocks. Sets shallow anchor in pass pro against bull rushers. Has reactive quickness to handle blitzes and twists.
Weaknesses
Playing style can be too frenetic. Will allow his aggression to pull him out of proper blocking position at times. Needs to quiet his flailing hands. Excessive hand fighting prevents him from snatching and securing blocks. Leads with upper body onto second-level blocks and loses balance if he doesn't land a strike. Base narrows as drive blocker and can be thrown off his block upper body tosses from defenders. Lacks body control for sustained engagements.
Draft Projection
Rounds 3-4
Sources Tell Us
"Really tough guy. He has to harness all that nasty out on the field, but I loved what he did to Washington, which has some really solid talent up front. He never backed down once and I think he had a couple of those guys intimidated." -- Area scout for AFC team
NFL Comparison
Jeremiah Poutasi
Bottom Line
Aggressive and powerful with an ability to create space for running backs in a power scheme. Asiata isn't a complete stiff from a movement standpoint, but he loses effectiveness the farther he's asked to travel from his home base. He'll fall off of blocks a little earlier than teams will want, but his ability to generate movement combined with his girthy frame means he could become a starter at either guard or center within a couple of years.
-Lance Zierlein
