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Two weeks ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, Texas prospect Isaiah Bond is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. While legal issues appear to be his biggest concern for the time being, Steve Smith Sr. sees another potential worry regarding his on-field play.
One day after Bond reportedly turned himself in to police following accusations of sexual assault, Smith released a YouTube video breaking down and critiquing the wideout's reckless play style. Smith claimed Bond lacked “field awareness,” saying he is not keen on knowing where safeties are on the field.
“[Isaiah Bond] just doesn't have a lot of field awareness,” Smith said on his YouTube channel. “He just seems to get blown up a lot. Just never really seems to know how to protect himself. I noticed that which was a little bit of a red flag for me.”
With a mere 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame, Bond's size already raised concerns among scouts. Although several players, namely DeVonta Smith, have debunked the wide receiver size concerns, Bond is coming off an injury-riddled season in 2024. He missed two games entirely due to various ailments and was limited for most of Texas' College Football Playoff run.
In the same video, Smith declared Bond's former Texas teammate, Matthew Golden, as the best wideout of the draft class. The former All-Pro said Golden possesses the best well-rounded skill set out of any of his peers, including Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan.
Isaiah Bond's destructive pre-draft timeline
Overall, the entire pre-draft process has been a disaster for Bond. He turned heads by boldly claiming he would set a new 40-yard dash record at the 2025 NFL Draft Combine, only to post a 4.39, ranking ninth in the class. The potential assault charges raise further questions about his character.
Within hours of turning himself in, Bond posted bail and was released from the Collin County jail in McKinney, Texas. He adamantly denied the claims, calling them “patently false.” Regardless, the Frisco Police Department had enough evidence to receive an arrest warrant.
Bond already entered the process with various concerns, most of them regarding his lack of consistent production. Despite obvious physical talent, Bond never recorded more than 668 receiving yards in any of his three college football seasons between Texas and Alabama. His results always seemed to fall short of expectations.
