Arizona Cardinals fans waited a long time to see rookie receiver Andy Isabella make plays. In the last few weeks, he has begun to make an impact on ballgames. That play has earned him recent recognition from Pro Football Focus.

He was named the team’s most underrated player.

During his final collegiate season at UMass in 2018, second-round rookie Andy Isabella was PFF’s highest-graded wide receiver in the entire FBS. So then, it’s safe to say we here at PFF were excited to watch Isabella team up with Kyler Murray and first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury in Arizona. Isabella, however, saw the field just 41 times on offense in his first eight weeks, but he has since seen far more time on the field, playing 58 snaps since Week 9. Since then, Isabella has flashed the playmaking similar to what we saw when he was in college. On his 10 targets, Isabella has earned a 70.8 receiving grade; he’s broken three tackles, generated three explosive plays and has caught 100% of his catchable targets while producing 2.86 yards per route run.

Given that his fellow Cardinal wide receivers are playing below expectations, and given his superb play when given the opportunity, Isabella’s stock is likely only going up from here.

Many feared Isabella was quickly becoming a bad draft pick. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury has insisted Isabella has been improving and that there is a plan for him. He just had not had the opportunity.

He has been impactful in limited touches. I guess that does make him underrated. However, this doesn’t mean he necessarily should have his role increased.

His play is something to pay attention to in the final five weeks of the season.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

[protected-iframe id=”dc9401a9946bd6d695c8bc6452e2c715-112738498-106269283″ info=”https://api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/20138538/download.mp3″ ]