After two seasons at Alabama and one at Texas, wide receiver Isaiah Bond is preparing for the NFL Draft. The media scouts have commonly compared Bond to another former Crimson Tide pass-catcher – Jaylen Waddle.
Bond finds the comparison flattering, as Waddle has 309 receptions for 4,129 yards and 20 touchdowns four seasons into his NFL career with the Miami Dolphins.
“He’s an amazing player,” Bond said during an appearance this week on FanDuel TV’s “Up and Adams.” “Actually got to train with him my freshman year when I was down there. That’s a great receiver to be compared to. One of the greats, for sure, and he’s also a friend, so I like that comparison.”
Among the commonalities for Bond and Waddle are Nick Saban and Steve Sarkisian.
While Waddle was at Alabama from the 2018 through 2020 seasons, Saban was the Crimson Tide’s head coach and Sarkisian was the offensive coordinator in his final two seasons. Bond played for Saban at Alabama in 2022 and 2023, then transferred in 2024 to Texas, where Sarkisian is the head coach.
Bond said Saban and Sarkisian had their “winningness” in common.
“They have the same philosophies – hard work and winning,” Bond said. “Those are two things that’s high on their charts, for sure. Playing for coaches like that, you’re going to work extremely hard. The results and goals of that hard work is to go out on Saturdays and win.”
The favorable Bond-Waddle comparison is born of their shared trait of speed from similar-sized receivers. But Bond was not as productive as Waddle in college.
Waddle had 106 receptions for 1,999 yards with 17 touchdowns in 34 games. An injury limited Waddle to six games in his final season at Alabama, but that didn’t prevent the Dolphins from making him the sixth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Bond had 99 receptions for 1,428 yards and 10 touchdowns in 41 games at Alabama and Texas.
Eight of Waddle’s touchdown receptions at Alabama covered at least 51 yards, and he averaged 44.5 yards on his 17 TD receptions. Waddle also had a punt-return touchdown of 63 yards and a kickoff-return touchdown of 98 yards.
Four of Bond’s 10 receiving touchdowns covered more distance than Waddle’s average TD reception. Bond averaged 28.3 yards on his 10 touchdown receptions, and he also scored on a 26-yard run at Texas.
Before the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, Bond said he could break former Texas teammate Xavier Worthy’s event record of 4.21 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Instead, Bond clocked a 4.39-second 40, which ranked tied for ninth among the wide receivers on March 1.
But during his run, Bond hit the top speed of any of the combine wide receivers at 24.17 mph. The only player who reached a faster speed than Bond at this year’s combine was Kentucky cornerback Maxwell Hairston at 24.25 mph. Hairston also had the fastest 40 at 4.28 seconds.
Bond said he planned to run the 40-yard dash again at Texas’ pro day on March 25.
The NFL Draft is set for April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
