Wide Receiver Isaiah Bond Didn’t Catch On With Texas

I was stoked about wide receiver Isaiah Bond when he was at Alabama. I put a first-round grade on his 2023 game film and was looking forward to seeing how he did after transferring to Texas.

It was a bad move.

Pure and simple.

Bond’s catch rate dropped from 62.3% (2023: 48 catches on 77 targets to 60.7% (2024: 34 catches on 56 targets).

Even more concerning ⎯

Per Pro Football Focus:

2023: 11 out of 18 deep catches

2024: 2 out of 14 deep catches

It just didn’t click.

What happened?

Bond and the two quarterbacks who were throwing to him in 2024 didn’t always look like they were on the same sheet of music.

There were more times than I cared to count when Longhorns’ quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning didn’t even look in Bond’s direction when he was running routes.

A lot of those “deep passes” were overthrown.

Several times Bond seemed to be going the wrong direction on a route. Bond and those quarterbacks looked out of sync. The synergy wasn’t there.

The timing was off.

There’s a bigger problem…

Bond did a poor job catching the ball when he was strongly challenged. I can give grace for the chemistry being off and for quarterbacks overthrowing him, but not coming away with contested catches is on him. These are passes when the defensive back who is covering the wide receiver physically challenges the receiver when the ball arrives.

I’m not making this stuff up.

Pro Football Focus credited Bond with 3 contested catches on 11 contested targets.

It was a concern I had in his 2023 evaluation as well.

What are the positives?

Bond excels in the short-to-intermediate route level (0-19 yards) when he can shake free from coverage.

Bond also has value picking up yardage after catches.

He’s good at that.

Whether it’s an end-around, short-bubble screen, or when he finds a soft spot in zone coverage downfield (a coverage where defenders cover a certain area of the field instead of being assigned to cover specific players), Bond is more than capable of picking up yardage.

Speed kills

4.39

4.35

The first number is his 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine. The second number is his 40 at his pro day.

These kinds of times will only help him.

Bond can flat-out fly.

Downward trajectory and troubling news

The hiccups with his deep game and contested catches eliminate him from the first-round discussion for me.

Even more “concerning” are the recent reports that have since surfaced about Bond per NBC Sports and WFAA ABC 8.

Report: Isaiah Bond turned himself in on an outstanding warrant for sexual assault

Alcohol makes me do things’ | Affidavit reveals new details in sexual assault case against former Texas Longhorn Isaiah Bond

#7 Isaiah Bond 5-foot-11, 180 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2025 Final NFL Draft Grade: Fourth-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

C (Character Risk)

Projected by 22.1% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of April 13, 2025 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Isaiah Bond Earns First Round Grade on 2023 Game Film (14 games evaluated)

2024 game film evaluated: Colorado State, Michigan, UTSA, UL Monroe, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Kentucky, Texas A&M, Georgia, and ASU (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Tough, fast, and competitive receiver loaded with natural ability. Good route runner, but it didn’t seem like he knew the Longhorns’ playbook or was taking his time there seriously. Good energy level. Quick release. Explosive acceleration. Good athletic ability. Has wiggle. Shifty. Twitchy. Can bend routes and change direction at the last possible second to create route leverage. Tends to catch with his hands away from his body. Projects best to slot. Committed and determined blocker.

Final words

Bond lost his concentration in 2024.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.