Signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL - then-owned by a group headed by
Bruce McNall,
Wayne Gretzky and
John Candy - on the first day of the 1991 NFL draft, where he was projected the #1 overall pick; the Los Angeles Raiders drafted him 100th. Ismail began his NFL career with the Raiders in 1993, but wasn't a starter until 1995 and didn't have a 1,000-yard season until 1998. Ismail retired in 2001 with 363 receptions for 5,295 and 28 TD's, and never finished in the top 10 of any major category.