From the Ivy League to the jungle – Andrei Iosivas (Yo-Shee-Vas) is making waves at the Cincinnati Bengals’ OTAs. At Princeton he shone and his performance at the Senior Bowl took him over the edge, leading to the Bengals picking him up in the sixth round of the 2023 NFl Draft.
Iosivas is a three-sport star from Hawaii who above all else is an insane athlete. At Princeton he earned NCAA All-American honours in the heptathlon during the 2022 season and was a three-time Ivy League heptathlon champion in 2019, 2020, and 2022.
Iosivas is also the NCAA record holder for the fastest 60m time (6.71), which he achieved during the 2022 season. This athleticism on a 6’3” 215lbs frame is very reminiscent of Iosivas’ new teammate Tee Higgins, but can he replicate that level of success in the league? Insane athletic ability aside, how good is Iosivas on a football field?
Strengths
Iosivas’ speed and size really jump out on tape. His rapid acceleration and blistering top speed really blend together well, allowing him to separate from defenders no matter the coverage. He also shows good quickness and fluidity in and out of his breaks, as well as the football intelligence to process quickly and make adjustments to give him the advantage.
Iosivas also possesses vice-like hands and he can out-muscle most defensive backs to come down with the ball. This helps to make him a matchup nightmare and a massive threat in the redzone. His perfect blend of size, speed and strength will lead to success at the NFL level if he keeps improving on his craft.
Weaknesses
Despite the promising traits, there are some concerns I can see on film. Iosivas’ incredible speed can lead to him struggling to throttle down effectively when he needs to, leading to problems on some shorter routes and comebacks. Fluid as he is, his route tree isn’t particularly diverse and he never faced elite competition in college – after all, the Ivy League isn’t exactly the SEC! Despite his size, Iosivas also seems to give up on blocks quite easily, meaning he won’t see many run support snaps which are normally good for rookies to cut their teeth with.
Overall, Andrei Iosivas may be one of the more exciting late round prospects from this year’s draft. He has the size and athletic ability that can’t be taught and the work ethic and football IQ to match. He’s going to be learning from the best in Cincinnati and if he can soak up tips for teammates as well as he did in college he may well be one of the better receivers in the NFL in the next three years.
