A ridiculous headline, to be sure, but wide receiver Isaiah Bond has no one to blame but himself for turning a decent showing at the combine into a literal farce.
Alabama and Texas product Isaiah Bond made waves when he indicated he would run a sub 4.2 40 during his pre-combine interview. While it’s normal for players to hype up their ability in interview settings, Bond’s outrageous promise set him up for failure. After running what would otherwise have been a somewhat disappointing, though respectable, 4.39, Bond seems to have hurt his stock heading into his pro day.
Bond was a high school sprint champion in the 100m and 200m races in the state of Georgia. His game is all about speed. During his collegiate career, he caught 99 balls for 1428 yards and 10 touchdowns in 35 games across three seasons with the Long Horns and Crimson Tide. He also showed what he could do on the ground in 2024 with a long of 44 yards while throwing in a 26-yard touchdown to boot.
Bond has shown both long-distance speed and short-area quickness on tape. He will look to improve upon his combine numbers on March 26, when Texas hosts its pro days. For now, he will likely bide his time and hope people have short memories by the time the draft rolls around in April.
-Blake Stachel (IG: bllakkay)
While catching buzz for the NFL draft, Matthew Golden’s ADP is rising in best ball drafts.
Matthew Golden’s average draft position is steadily rising in Underdog drafts. Since February 11th, Golden has risen 4.2 spots from WR-50 up to WR-48 in round 8. The Texas wide receiver has been gaining steam ever since he declared for the NFL draft.
Daniel Jeremiah recently did a mock draft where Matthew Golden landed with the Buffalo Bills at pick 30 in round 1. According to Pro Football Focus, Golden was tied for 15th in deep catches with 13 and 30th in deep yards with 438 in 2024. Fantasy gamers who watch college football who tuned into Texas games in 2024 to see Isaiah Bond were pleasantly drawn to Golden’s big play ability.
Between the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft, expect more buzz to pick up for Matthew Golden. In the meantime, expect a steady creep up draft boards as fantasy gamers process Golden’s likelihood of landing in a bullish spot.
Author: Jeremiah Retzlaff (coachretzlaff1)
Texas WR Isaiah Bond has thrown his hat into the ring for the NFL draft.
In an age that seems to favor players staying in college for too long, Junior WR from the Texas Longhorns, Isaiah Bond has declared for the 2025 NFL draft. The former Alabama recruit and Texas transfer is leaving school after totaling 1428 career yards on 99 receptions.
Bond was not a Junior invite to the Senior Bowl, and his career production leaves much to be desired, save for his 15.9 YPR at Texas, so the true scouting analysis will need to come from what he’s put on tape, and his Combine and Pro-Day performance.
At 5’11” and 180 lbs, and a sub 4.3 40 time, Bond profiles very similarly to former Texas wideout Xavier Worthy. Bond hopes NFL scouts feel the same way and will see him as a Day 1 pick.
Writer: Brendon Booth (@bigbonededFFB)
