Isaac Yiadom (born February 20, 1996) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). A graduate of

Doherty Memorial High School Doherty Memorial High School is a public high school located in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. It opened its doors in the fall of 1966, replacing two closing schools: Worcester Classical High School and Worcester Commerce High School. ...

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

, he played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level ( Football Bowl Subdivis ...

College career

After high school, Yiadom signed with Boston College over offers from Bryant,

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast o ...

, and

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. After his senior year, Yiadom was invited to the

2018 Senior Bowl The 2018 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game featuring players from the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season, and prospects for the 2018 draft of the professional National Football League (NFL). The game was the last ...

. Boston College teammates

Harold Landry Harold Antonio Landry III (born June 5, 1996) is an American professional football linebacker for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Boston College Eagles and was selected by the Te ...

and Kamrin Moore were also invited, making it the first time since 2006 that 3 players from Boston College were invited to the senior bowl.

Professional career

Pre-draft

On December 18, 2017, it was announced that Yiadom had accepted his invitation to play in the

. Prior to the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

, Yiadom was ranked as the 47th best

prospect in the by DraftScout.com and was unheralded due to his minimal targets in college. He impressed scouts and analysts with a strong week of practice for the Senior Bowl and immensely helped his draft stock. On January 27, 2018, Yiadom played in the 2018 Reese's Senior Bowl and was part of

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

' head coach

Vance Joseph Vance Desmond Joseph (born September 20, 1972) is an American professional football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Colorad ...

's South team that lost 45–16 to the North coach by

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

' head coach Bill O'Brien. He attended the

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

and performed the majority of combine drills, but opted to skip the vertical jump and three-cone drill. On March 21, 2018, Yiadom participated at Boston College's

pro day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

and chose to perform the 40-yard dash (4.56s), 20-yard dash (2.63s), 10-yard dash (1.53s), vertical jump (34.5"), broad jump (10'0"), short shuttle (4.23s), and three-cone drill (6.85s). At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Yiadom was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the 12th best cornerback prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com and was ranked the 15th best cornerback by

Scouts Inc. Scouts Inc. is a partner of ESPN Inc., that specializes in scouting and evaluating current and future players and teams in professional, college and high school sports. The content is provided on the ESPN television networks, ESPN Radio and ESPN ...

Denver Broncos

The

selected Yiadom in the third round (99th overall) of the

2018 NFL draft The 2018 NFL draft was the 83rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2018 NFL season. The draft was held on April 26–28 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington southwest of Dallas; it was ...

. Yiadom was the 11th cornerback drafted in 2018. On May 25, 2018, the Broncos signed Yiadom to a four-year, $3.32 million contract that included a

signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...

of $761,516.

New York Giants

Yiadom was traded to the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

for a 2021 seventh-round draft pick on September 3, 2020. Yiadom started 10 games for the Giants in his one season with them.

Green Bay Packers

Yiadom was traded to the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

for cornerback Josh Jackson on August 17, 2021. Yiadom started for the Packers on Week 6 against the Chicago Bears following injuries to starting cornerbacks Kevin King and

Jaire Alexander Jaire Zakar Alexander (born February 9, 1997) is an American professional football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Louisville Cardinals, and was selected by the Green B ...

. He committed a pass interference penalty on the opponent's opening drive to set up a Bears touchdown. Yiadom was subsequently benched for backup cornerback

Rasul Douglas Rasul Douglas (born August 29, 1994) is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football for the West Virginia Mountaineers, and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. He has al ...

, who won the starting cornerback job with his steadier performance, and Yiadom being relegated to a backup and special teams role. On November 3, 2021, he was placed on reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list. He was activated off reserve/COVID-19 list on November 13, 2021. On January 21, 2022, he was released along with Jack Heflin to open roster spaces for the returns of

Za'Darius Smith Za'Darius Smith (born September 8, 1992) is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football at East Mississippi Community College before transferring to play for the Kentucky Wildcats. He was selected by the Baltimor ...

and

Whitney Mercilus Whitney Mercilus (born July 21, 1990) is an American former professional football linebacker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons, primarily with the Houston Texans. He played college football for the Illinois Fighting ...

from

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

prior to the divisional playoff game.

Houston Texans

On March 24, 2022, Yiadom signed with the

. He was released during final roster cuts on August 30. He was waived on November 15, 2022.

New Orleans Saints (first stint)

On November 17, 2022, Yiadom was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

of the

. He was promoted to the active roster on December 5. Yiadom re-signed with the Saints on March 23, 2023.

San Francisco 49ers

On March 18, 2024, Yiadom signed a one–year contract with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

. Yiadom appeared in all 17 games for San Francisco in 2024, including 5 starts, and registered 1 interception, 6 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, and 46 combined tackles.

New Orleans Saints (second stint)

On March 13, 2025, Yiadom signed a three-year, $9 million contract with the

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Personal life

Yiadom is the son of

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

ian immigrants.

References

External links

New Orleans Saints bioBoston College Eagles bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yiadom, Isaac 1996 births Living people Players of American football from Worcester, Massachusetts American football cornerbacks Boston College Eagles football players Denver Broncos players American sportspeople of Ghanaian descent New York Giants players Green Bay Packers players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen Houston Texans players Doherty Memorial High School alumni New Orleans Saints players San Francisco 49ers players