Browns' Isaiah McGuire has reputation for work ethic: 'We couldn't get him off the field'

Barry Odom vowed to never forget the impact Browns rookie Isaiah McGuire had on the electricity bill at the University of Missouri.

The memory stems from Odom, the Missouri football team's head coach at the time, recruiting McGuire out of Union High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

When McGuire visited the Tigers during a one-day prospect camp the summer before his senior year at Union, he kept going through drills with defensive line coach Brick Haley after the session had ended.

More on Cleveland Browns rookie class: Former Ohio State center Luke Wypler loves the chess of playing football

McGuire had no interest in stopping.

“We couldn't get him off the field when camp was over,” Odom, now the head coach at UNLV, told the Beacon Journal in a recent phone interview. “He just wanted to continue to work.

“We had to keep the lights on for a long time for him because he was just continuing to try to develop his skills, and it was impressive to watch.”

Jim Brown dies at age 87: The life and legacy of a Cleveland Browns icon

Rookies and veteran players will practice together this week during Cleveland Browns OTAs

A combination of McGuire's dedication and talent allowed him to produce well as a Missouri defensive end and earn an NFL opportunity. The Browns drafted him in the fourth round (No. 126 overall) on April 29 and put him through the paces during rookie minicamp May 12-14.

McGuire and the rest of the 2023 Browns draft class will practice with veteran players for the first time during voluntary organized team activities. Cleveland's first set of OTAs will be held Tuesday through Thursday and represent a chance for McGuire to build relationships with top Browns defensive ends Myles Garrett, Za'Darius Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo.

“He's going to learn from his environment and be able to find ways to apply [lessons from] those guys into his game,” Odom said. “He's got a tremendous competitive spirit, he's got a high football IQ and he's very versatile. I think all of those qualities will help him become a guy that will allow the Cleveland Browns to play really good defense and have a chance to compete for championships.”

McGuire, 21, should be in a good spot to develop without being completely thrown into the fire as a rookie.

Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz counting on McGuire to adopt a heavy workload in the infancy of his professional career became increasingly unlikely with the May 12 blockbuster trade for Smith. Beyond Garrett, Smith and Okoronkwo, Cleveland's D-end depth chart includes two 2022 draft picks, Alex Wright (third round) and Isaiah Thomas (seventh round). Barring injury, McGuire is set to compete this spring and summer for the fourth spot in the rotation of edge rushers.

Cleveland Browns 2023 NFL schedule: Expert predictions and game-by-game breakdown

Isaiah McGuire told relatives the Browns trading for Pro Bowl pass rusher Za'Darius Smith created an ideal situation for him

As McGuire watched film and studied the playbook in his hotel room during Browns rookie minicamp, he noticed either a tweet or an alert on his smartphone about the Browns acquiring Smith from the Minnesota Vikings.

“Seeing that and sending it to my family, [we were] talking about what a great opportunity it is for me as a young player adding that presence to the room,” McGuire said.

What's also expected to help McGuire out of the gate are hand-fighting techniques. It's a facet of McGuire's game Odom noticed as far back as the recruiting process and one the Browns found appealing while they prepared for the draft.

“If you have no moves, no sacks,” McGuire said during rookie minicamp. “That's just really the truth of the matter. [I must] continue to improve on those things from college to now. Being in the NFL, technique is everything. So for me, I have to take those necessary steps to improve, so I can help this team win a lot of football games.

“Everyone could see on film that I have a lot of power, but I'm also athletic, so I can attack offensive linemen or whatnot in different ways, whether it's power, whether it's finesse or speed. Just having that artillery as a pass rusher, as a defensive player, really helps the team for sure.”

Isaiah McGuire's character separated the Cleveland Browns rookie from other players, even early in his Missouri career

Early signs pointed to success for McGuire because he's willing to grind behind the scenes.

“A lot of times guys that are recruited will go to camps and they don't want to work out, but Isaiah was different in that regard,” Odom said. “He wanted to spend as much time as he could with the position coach and watching him go through drills and really just his functioning as a defensive end — the body control, change of direction, the ability to lean, his hand placement, get off on the snap, all of those things at that point in his high school career — in our measurables of how we recruited, I thought he was one of the tops in the country.”

Jim Brown's death: Social media reacts to death of Cleveland Browns iconic running back

Odom didn't coach McGuire for long, though, because Missouri fired him after the Tigers went 6-6 in 2019, the final season Browns defensive tackle Jordan Elliott spent with the program. A freshman at the time, McGuire appeared in six games and made four tackles.

Despite the small sample size, Odom felt comfortable drawing a conclusion about McGuire's future, largely because of his character.

“I knew at that point that he had a chance to be an all-league player and be an NFL player,” Odom said. “He was very mature in his approach, he was very coachable and he was always hungry for more knowledge. He wanted to be the best.”

Browns rookie defensive end Isaiah McGuire was a productive captain in the SEC

McGuire became a full-time starter for his final three seasons at Missouri. In those 35 games, he racked up 112 tackles, with 31 for loss, 16.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a pass defensed. He led the team in sacks with six in 2021 and 7.5 in 2022. As a senior last season, he earned second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors.

“Being in the SEC was real cool,” McGuire said the night the Browns selected him him. “Every week, I was going against most likely a draft prospect or a draft pick. You've always got to put your best foot forward.”

McGuire did so in the locker room as well as on the field. His Missouri teammates voted him a captain last season, giving him a shot to fulfill a leadership role Odom expected him to eventually seize based on his intangibles.

“It was definitely something I had to grow into,” McGuire said. “but that’s the great thing about life.”

A positive attitude has seemingly helped McGuire reach the NFL. During rookie minicamp, he smiled and engaged with reporters throughout his media availability. On the practice field, he executed a cartwheel after excelling in a drill.

“He enjoys what he does,” Odom said. “He understands that his opportunity to be able to go compete at the highest level [comes with] responsibility, and I think he's on a mission to be a really, really good player.

“He was always a joy to be around, usually energetic, lit up the room when he walked in because of his personality.”

McGuire also kept Missouri lit up longer than usual as a high school visitor determined to stay on the field.

Insight on Browns rookie Siaki Ika: Defensive tackle picked in the third round could be a draft hit if weight, conditioning are maintained, coach says

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns rookie Isaiah McGuire has reputation for work ethic