The Senior Bowl launched a “coach up” format in 2023 that allows assistant coaches around the NFL to hold prominent coaching positions throughout the event to help give coaches a stepping stone to the next step of their career. In 2023, Steelers OLB coach Denzel Martin and DB coach Grady Brown were a part of the coaching staff at the Senior Bowl. This season, assistant OL coach Isaac Williams got the opportunity to coach the American Team OL.
This program benefits the coaches as it gives them an opportunity to get more exposure, but it also benefits the organization as it allows them to gather info up close and personal throughout the event.
As Alex Kozora did last year with Grady Brown, I made it my mission to gather as much info on Williams as possible throughout the week of practices in Mobile. I asked as many American Team offensive linemen as I could get access to what kinds of things Williams helped with throughout the week and what kind of coach he is overall.
CHRISTIAN HAYNES/OG UCONN
“He’s just a great coach. He’s just some guy who you want to sit down and watch the film [with] and he really helps you. He wants to see you be a successful person. He’s gonna put you in the best possible position to be successful.”
ANDREW RAYM/C OKLAHOMA
(via Jonathan Heitritter)
“He’s got a lot of good coaching points. I come from the offense we ran in Oklahoma. We ran a little differently like the inside, outside zones, aiming points and all that. So he’s been really great. He makes everything kind of easy to understand what the new techniques that he wants us to run.”
BRANDON COLEMAN/OG TCU
“I think he’s been very good about trying to correct the game that I’ve got right now. He mentioned to us that everybody has different techniques that they’ve learned, but instead of trying to make me learn something new, he tried to correct my technique and mistakes I’ve been doing. Like my second step has been very long and instead of trying to make me do something else, he just tells me, just get in the ground quicker. Have my hands inside better when you take this step.”
CHARLES TURNER III/C LSU
“When I was playing guard today he wanted me to use my length a little bit more to keep the defenders up off me. So that’s something that I was trying to do in a one-on-one session, just using my length a bit more and trying not to get pulled and grabbed up a lot.”
JAVON FOSTER/OT MISSOURI
(via Jonathan Heitritter)
“It’s just been a blessing to get coached by him. He’s honestly just been showing much love to me and just critiquing my game, pointing out what I need to work on and different things like that.”
PATRICK PAUL/OT HOUSTON
(via Jonathan Heitritter)
“Being with Coach Isaac, it’s amazing. I mean, he brings a lot of energy and I’ve known him for a short amount of time, but he’s great.”
TRAVIS GLOVER/OT GEORGIA STATE
This one is particularly interesting because Glover was added into the lineup mid-week and had to jump on the moving train after missing earlier practices.
“What I was saying earlier, with the hands and just a lot of different technique stuff as far as stepping and just running out the ball because I know I kind of do it a little differently from what they teaching. Just hearing what he say because like I said, every time he speak, he teaching something.”
ISAAC WILLIAMS
On the benefits of coaching prospects in Mobile:
“It allows you to understand how their minds’ tick. What they want to know. Are they eager to learn? Do they want corrections? Do they want information? Are they trying to grow and get better? That’s one of the things you can’t get off tape.”
Most of the answers were fairly generic and in many cases these players were surrounded by other members of the media, so followup questions were not always easy to squeeze in. Regardless, they all seemed to have respect for Williams. He brings energy, makes small corrections to the players’ technique, and harps on footwork and hand usage. Steelers OL coach Pat Meyer is big on independent hand usage and significant first contact, so it is no surprise to hear a few players mention Williams trying to get them to use their length more to keep defenders off them.
Williams got a front row seat to half of the Senior Bowl’s offensive linemen throughout the week. This OL class is widely regarded as the strongest group in the draft. Some of that information, like the stuff he mentioned you cannot learn on tape, will be valuable inputs as the Steelers progress through the pre-draft process with needs along the offensive line.
