Early Look at Iowa’s 2025 NFL Draft Prospects

The 2024 NFL Draft is now in the books and it was another good one for the Iowa football program. The Hawkeyes extended their streak of having a player drafted by an NFL team to 47 straight years. Also, with four more players being drafted, there have now been 89 selected during the tenure of Kirk Ferentz.

Really the only negative from a Hawkeye perspective was Cooper DeJean slipping to the second round. While Phil Parker has now seen 19 of his former defensive backs selected by NFL teams, the long time Iowa assistant coach and coordinator has yet to see one of his defensive backs picked in the first round.

With four players being selected, Iowa has now had two or more players drafted for eight straight years. That is topped by the stretch from 2002 to 2013, which saw Iowa have at least two players picked in every draft. That stretch also included three straight years (2010-2012) where they had six players picked each year.

Which brings us to the next NFL Draft, which on paper, could approach or potentially exceed the six players picked. Of course, some of that could be impacted, as it likely was this year, by the use of a Covid year.

First, let’s start with the players who are going to be done after this year and don’t have a Covid year remaining. Those players are: Cade McNamara, Connor Colby (Four year player), Nick DeJong, Jay Higgins, Nick Jackson, Kyler Fisher, Jermari Harris, Quinn Schulte, and Sebastian Castro.

Then there are another list of “seniors” who could potentially use their Covid year and return to Iowa. Those include: Leshon Williams, Luke Lachey, Deontae Craig, Ethan Hurkett, Mason Richman, Tyler Elsbury, Logan Jones, and Yahya Black.

Let’s also throw in the mix, true junior to be Xavier Nwankpa, who is almost certainly on the radar of the NFL.

It’s far too early to do a whole lot of projecting when it comes to the NFL Draft. However, we can take a look at who are the most likely players to be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft from an Iowa football prospective.

LUKE LACHEY

Had the Iowa tight end stayed healthy last year, there is a real chance that he would have opted to become a member of the 2024 NFL Draft class. He was off to a terrific start to the season with 10 receptions in the first couple of games. But, then he broke his ankle and did not return the rest of the season.

Even with all that said, Lachey did give the NFL some serious thought. He stayed to come back this year and will be one of the top tight ends in the country and a contender for the Mackey Award.  The Draft Network lists Lachey as the 45th best prospect next season. PROJECTION: Second Round

YAHYA BLACK

Like Lachey, the Iowa defensive tackle did give some serious consideration to the NFL Draft this year. He had a bit of a breakout year from a health perspective, starting all 14 games. Black had 51 tackles, including 5 for loss with 3.5 being sacks. He also had five passes broken up and a pair of quarterback hurries. He has the Carl Davis feel to his path to the NFL. PROJECTION: Third Round

XAVIER NWANKPA

This one is a bit of a projection on our end because there is an equal chance that he returns to Iowa for one more year. It certainly feels like Nwankpa is poised for a breakout season where he rises up in terms of big impact plays and turnovers created. Last year he finished the season with 42 tackles, including two for loss. He also had just one interception and broke up two others. Pro Football Focus lists Nwankpa as the 35th best returning prospect who could be part of the next NFL Draft class. PROJECTION: Fourth Round

JAY HIGGINS/NICK JACKSON

One of the biggest recruiting scores for the Iowa Hawkeyes was getting both Jackson and Higgins to return for one more season. Higgins earned first team All American honors last season and led the Big Ten in tackles with 171. That tied the single season mark at Iowa. He also had five tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, one interception, four passes broken up, and four quarterback hurries. Higgins also forced a pair of fumble in this first year as a starter. The Sports News lists him as the 24th best player returning for the NFL Draft.

Jackson was a high impact player for the Hawkeyes. He had his fourth straight 100 tackles season. This time with 110. He also had 8 tackles for loss and 4 sacks. Jackson also had 7 quarterback hurries and 4 passes broken up last season along with a pair of forced fumbles. Both players are likely to get drafted, but probably not as early as they should be. PROJECTION: FIFTH OR SIXTH ROUND

SEBASTIAN CASTRO

While Jay Higgins probably had the biggest breakout performance for an Iowa player last season, Castro was certainly close behind. He led Iowa with 3 interceptions last season to go with 67 tackles, including 8 for loss from the “Cash” position as well as strong safety. Castro also had 8 tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 8 passes broken up. He earned first team All American honors from Pro Football Focus, Third team All American by the Associated Press, and second team All Big Ten selection. He decided to come back for one more year to potentially help his draft stock. PROJECTION: SIXTH ROUND

CONNOR COLBY

It’s hard to imagine a four year starter on the Iowa offensive line not being drafted. Colby began his career at guard and then moved to tackle, only to end up relatively quickly back at guard. He was third team All Big Ten last year and should be able to continue to elevate his draft stock this season. However, his lack of being able to play tackle is going to ding him with the NFL folks. Still, it feels like he gets drafted late next year. PROJECTION: SEVENTH ROUND

There will be some interesting names to watch, particularly on the offensive line. Could players like Logan Jones or Mason Richman end up in the draft with a strong season? Maybe. Same could be said for Deontae Craig, who could have a big sack season and end up in the draft.

The post Early Look at Iowa’s 2025 NFL Draft Prospects appeared first on On3.