Iowa football and the NFL Draft: How the Hawkeyes fared and who’s next 

MADISON, WISCONSIN - OCTOBER 14: Tory Taylor #9 of the Iowa Hawkeyes celebrates after the Hawkeyes defeated the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium on October 14, 2023 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
By Scott Dochterman
Apr 29, 2024

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Four Iowa players were invited to the NFL combine, and all four were drafted.

In a surprise, Cooper DeJean didn’t go in the first round, which means the most recent Iowa defensive back picked that high remains Tom Knight in the 1997 draft. That was two years before head coach Kirk Ferentz and defensive coordinator Phil Parker arrived at Iowa.

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But DeJean went No. 40 to the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round, tight end Erick All to the Cincinnati Bengals and punter Tory Taylor to the Chicago Bears in the fourth round and defensive lineman Logan Lee to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round. The Hawkeyes are up to 89 draftees in the Ferentz era, with 220 players signing with NFL teams in the coach’s 25 years. There’s a chance for a couple of other players to ink deals in the coming days, too.

Here are a few other draft-related notes about Iowa football:

• With DeJean landing in Philadelphia, the Eagles have drafted 17 Hawkeyes, tied with Detroit for second among NFL teams. Only Green Bay (22) has selected more Iowa players.

• Unofficially, the Bears have sent more personnel (16) to Iowa games the past three years than any other team. It’s obvious those scouts have seen plenty of punts by Taylor.

• Under Ferentz, the Hawkeyes have real balance among the draft rounds. There have been 13 first-round picks, 12 in the second round, 15 in the third, 16 in the fourth, 14 in the fifth, 12 in the sixth and seven in the seventh.

Among the positions, defensive backs have caught up with offensive linemen at 19 draft picks each. Defensive linemen rank third (17) with tight ends at 13 picks and linebackers at 10. All of those numbers should grow next year.

The Hawkeyes have 39 players on active NFL rosters with seven free agents who were on teams last year.

Let’s dive into this year’s Iowa’s draft selections, free-agent pickups and what the 2025 draft could become.

How do the draft picks fit?

Once teams opened the draft with 14 offensive players, a few defensive players were bound to get squeezed out of the first round. Even in the second round, there were few, if any, landing places better than Philadelphia for DeJean.

The Eagles’ secondary was awful late last season and part of the reason the team plummeted from potential Super Bowl favorite to wild-card flop. DeJean’s last on-site visit before the draft was to Philadelphia, and the Eagles traded two second-round picks to move up 10 spots to snag him. Along with first-round cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, DeJean could immediately rejuvenate the Eagles defense. It doesn’t matter where DeJean plays, he’ll make a day one impact on defense and as a returner.

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For all of Iowa’s success in sending players to the NFL, it’s been perplexing the Bears had drafted just one Hawkeyes player since 1990 before selecting Taylor in the fourth round. That said, Taylor is the perfect piece for a Bears roster entering the playoff conversation this fall.

The Bears ranked 31st in net punting (38.0) and 25th in yards per punt. Taylor’s ball placement is second to none, and his success punting in all kinds of weather removes uncertainty that often follows punters to northern climates. Anecdotally, Taylor seemed to force Iowa’s opponents to pick up four or five extra first downs per game. Maybe that number comes down a bit in the NFL, but he’ll be a weapon.

It’s undetermined how much All will help Cincinnati this year after suffering an ACL tear last October. All is back to running sprints and could be ready by training camp. In the offseason, the Bengals added former Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki to start and drafted another tight end in the sixth round. It’s the fifth straight season with a different No. 1 tight end for Cincinnati, and considering what the Bengals have at receiver, that position is a pure complementary piece.

A Cincinnati-area native, All oozes with athletic ability. If healthy, he could become the Bengals’ No. 2 tight end by late season and a future solid contributor for quarterback Joe Burrow.

Lee is the perfect guy at the bottom of the roster. His character and work ethic are beyond reproach, and he has the right size and positional versatility for Pittsburgh’s 3-4 defense. Lee played defensive tackle at Iowa and could fit anywhere from a five-technique defensive end to lining head-up on a center.

At Iowa, Lee was critical in tying up blockers in a two-gap scheme, and he’ll do the same in Pittsburgh while freeing up edge rushers. No duty is beneath Lee, who likely will play on special teams as well.

What about the undrafted players?

Other than NFL teams trapped in a salary-cap dungeon, few undrafted free agents for each team make their way to the opening day roster. That’s why the Los Angeles Rams were a perfect spot for tackle Alaric Jackson in 2021. This year, none of the teams that inked Iowa’s three players to free-agent deals have salary-cap issues. However, at least two of Iowa’s undrafted players have a good shot at earning an NFL paycheck this fall.

The biggest question for Iowa defensive end Joe Evans was for which position a team would sign him. Baltimore answered by signing him as an outside linebacker in the Ravens’ 3-4 defense. Although Evans has maxed out his 6-foot-1, 246-pound frame, nobody gets more out of his body.

 

Evans put together one of the top pro day performances in recent memory. Evans’ 41.5-inch vertical jump would have tied for seventh among all combine invitees. His shuttle and 3-cone drills were faster than any edge performer at the combine. Evans, a former walk-on, finished with 29 career sacks, including four in the Citrus Bowl.

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Baltimore, which drafted Penn State outside linebacker Adisa Isaac in the third round, has two starting edge rushers in former Big Ten defenders Odafe Oweh (Penn State) and David Ojabo (Michigan). Baltimore coach John Harbaugh traditionally keeps a walk-on or two and places high value on special teams. Expect Evans to impress there. He’ll find a way to stick.

Defensive tackle Noah Shannon, who the NCAA suspended last fall for placing a small wager (less than $100) on the Iowa women’s basketball team, agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders. Shannon was a technically sound interior lineman at Iowa with 28 career starts. Other than new signee Christian Wilkins and 2023 first-round pick Tyree Wilson, the Raiders have several defensive tackles in a similar spot as Shannon and didn’t draft any defensive linemen this weekend. A quality training camp should get Shannon on the practice squad at a minimum.

Tight end Steve Stilianos became a valuable contributor last year after season-ending injuries to All and Luke Lachey. Stilianos landed with Tennessee, and although it won’t be easy to earn a roster spot, his two seasons playing tight end at Iowa will help him compete in training camp.

Who is next?

The Hawkeyes have the potential to set a program record for overall draftees next spring. Since the AFL-NFL merged into one draft in 1967, Iowa has reached six draft picks multiple times (not counting expansion drafts). That record could grow by at least 25 percent in 2025.

Next year, tight end Luke Lachey could become the program’s 27th first-round selection. With his combination of size, speed, blocking ability and freakish athletic traits, Lachey might have a better starter kit than all of the tight ends who have preceded him. If he stays healthy, he’s the likely Mackey Award winner.

Several defenders could wind up as top-100 draft picks. They include defensive tackle Yahya Black, safety Sebastian Castro, linebacker Jay Higgins. Defensive end Deontae Craig and cornerback Jermari Harris could join them with strong seasons. Plus, linebacker Nick Jackson, safety Quinn Schulte and defensive end Ethan Hurkett will have NFL opportunities.

Offensive linemen Connor Colby, Mason Richman and Logan Jones are likely draft selections, while swing lineman Nick DeJong and running back Leshon Williams should get NFL shots. Perhaps long snapper Luke Elkin joins them.

Among the three-year players with NFL potential who could leave early with strong seasons include safety Xavier Nwankpa, defensive tackle Aaron Graves, offensive lineman Gennings Dunker and running back Kaleb Johnson.

 (Photo of Tory Taylor: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)

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Scott Dochterman

Scott Dochterman is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Iowa Hawkeyes. He previously covered Iowa athletics for the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Land of 10. Scott also worked as an adjunct professor teaching sports journalism at the University of Iowa.