Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots entered this year’s free agency with 14 of their players in need of a new contract. Initially, only two of them — QB Tommy DeVito, TE/FB Jack Westover — were retained. Earlier this week, a third joined the mix: Isaiah Iton, who had remained on the open market since March, was re-signed to effectively take the place of fellow defensive tackle Travis Shaw.
For Iton, this will present an opportunity to pick up where he left off.
Name: Isaiah Iton
Position: Defensive tackle/Interior defensive line
Jersey number: 62
Opening day age: 25 (8/23/2001)
Measurements: 6’2 5/8”, 300 lbs, 10 1/8” hand size, 34” arm length, 82 3/4” wingspan, 4.84s short shuttle, 32 1/2” vertical jump, 9’3” broad jump, 29 bench press reps, 7.62 Relative Athletic Score
NFL teams: Tennessee Titans (2024), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Northern Colorado (2019), Hutchinson (2020), Ole Miss (2021-22), Rutgers (2023)
Typically, the term “journeyman” is used to describe NFL players bouncing between teams on a fairly regular basis. Iton, however, was a journeyman back in college.
Initially a no-star recruit out of Pearland High School in Pearland, TX, he began his career at Northern Colorado but after playing in 12 games with three starts transferred to Hutchinson in 2020. While Covid-19 prevented him from appearing in any games for the Blue Dragons, his stint at the JUCO level allowed him to meet his academic requirements and find a spot at Ole Miss.
In two seasons with the Rebels, Iton played 23 games with two starts. He entered the transfer portal following his junior campaign, moving to Rutgers to close out his college career. He spent only one season with the Scarlet Knights, but it was the best of his career: Iton started all 13 games in 2023, registering 38 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and a fumble recovery — production good enough to secure him a spot with the Titans after he went undrafted the following spring.
After one season on Tennessee’s practice squad, he joined the Patriots in the spring of 2025 but ended up missing the entire season on injured reserve. He has yet to appear in any games for the club.
Strengths: A compactly-built defender with a low center of gravity and good use of leverage, Iton has the length to be competitive at the point of attack. He uses his 34-inch arms well to get into blockers’ chests, and combines them with a strong initial punch to transfer his upper-body power into his opponent. His reach allows him to effectively two-gap up front versus the run, and to disrupt the ball carrier or quarterback even when engaged. He plays with good eyes against the run and some solid burst and leg drive out of his stance. He also can play multiple techniques up front.
Weaknesses: Iton is not the most dynamic player, especially as a pass rusher. His lateral agility is limited and he lacks...
