With just the bowl game remaining, Iowa football fans are anxiously awaiting to find out whether a few key Hawkeyes will return for the 2019 season.
As you likely already know, First Team All-Big Ten tight end Noah Fant has declared for the NFL Draft, but what you may not know is that there are a few others who may be exploring their options at the next level, albeit at a slightly slower pace. That’s what happens when you play for an Iowa football program that consistently churns out NFL-quality tight end due to the fantastic coaches and the hard-working individuals that Kirk Ferentz recruits.
Unlike in previous years whereas not many Hawks are recognized on an individual level, this Iowa football team had quite a few outstanding individual performers. Just take a look at the Big Ten awards. 15 players were named to one of the All-Big Ten teams and three players took home individual awards for the best player at their position this past season.
With the Outback Bowl just a few weeks away, a few Hawkeyes will be turning their attention to the NFL Draft very soon as the deadline to declare for the draft is just over a month away (January 14). This means that a few Hawks have some very big decisions on their plate.
If the Hawks return all of their eligible players, this team has a chance at doing something the 2018 team wishes they could have: win the Big Ten.
Here are the four non-seniors that could by eying a chance to leave sooner rather than later.
Amani Hooker
Hooker is the surprising addition to this list, but that’s what happens when you become to the jack-of-all-trades safety for a stout Iowa football defense that traditionally sends a good chunk of players to the NFL.
His value this season playing pretty much every position on the team was recognized by the Big Ten as he was awarded First-Team All-Big Ten honors and received the 2018 Tatum-Woodson Defensive Back of the Year award.
The junior from Minneapolis, Minnesota built off a breakout sophomore season to have 59 tackles, four interceptions, one sack, and 3.5 tackles for loss.
He was undoubtedly the most valuable player on a defense that finished the season ranked 7th in the nation in yards allowed per game. If that isn’t enough to send your stock soaring, I don’t know what is.
He has the ideal size for a safety in today’s NFL at 6’0”, 210 pounds, but it doesn’t appear like draft scouts are taking notice yet. In fact, he is not listed on any of The Draft Network’s analyst’s top ten safety’s list.
If he were to return, he would be joining a secondary that loses just Jake Gervase and a linebacker group that would have another year under its belt allowing Hooker to continue to develop as a safety prospect.
Verdict: Stays for his senior year
Anthony Nelson
Anthony Nelson has quietly been the most consistent player on the Hawkeyes’ strong defensive line. While much of the attention has been devoted to how dominant All-Big Ten defensive end AJ Epenesa was in limited snaps, Nelson put together another outstanding season.
This year he totaled 41 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. The 9.5 sacks were tied for 13th in the nation and tied for first in the Big Ten, but it’s not just his pass rushing abilities that have scouts salivating over his potential. Nelson’s size and athleticism are incredible.
The 6’7”, 271 pound edge rusher can not only rush the passer but he can defend the run. Additionally, even when he can’t get to the quarterback in time, he’s a smart player who keeps his head up and disrupts passing lanes consistently as evidenced by his seven passes defensed in three seasons (including five in 2017 alone).
It’s easy to see why he would consider leaving as he is widely regarded as a second-round draft prospect and is listed as high as a top-40 prospect by some of the analysts at The Draft Network. Personally, I don’t feel like there is much more he can prove. He is a hard-working, high-floor type of guy.
That being said, this isn’t exactly the year to enter the draft early if you are an edge rusher as this class is loaded with talent at edge. He is arguably the 6th or 7th best edge rusher in just this class. That amount of depth can sometimes push talented players down the board despite having the talent to go in round two. If he comes back he would form a crazy good pass rush duo with AJ Epenesa for another year.
Verdict: Stays for senior year
TJ Hockenson
If you are TJ Hockenson, what more do you need to prove?
He had one of the most impressive seasons in Iowa football history at the tight end position, and he raked in the awards left and right with multiple tight end of the year awards and being named First Team All-Big Ten.
Adding to his case to leave is the fact that athletic three-down tight ends (a la George Kittle) are in vogue right now, and this years wide receiver class leaves a bit to be desired.
Lastly, could he improve his stock that much more after making an incredible jump from his redshirt freshman to redshirt sophomore season? He’s already listed as a top-40 prospect on numerous draft boards including The Draft Network’s Jon Ledyards big board which has Hockenson at number 35.
As NFL Mocks site expert Sayre Bedinger said in an article about Hockenson last month:
"What’s the point in waiting to make the jump to the NFL if talent evaluators like what they see, and you have the prototypical skill set for today’s game?"
It’s definitely a decision that Hockenson isn’t taking lightly at this point. In an interview with Chad Leistikow, Hockenson had this to say:
"“I’m trying to take in as much information as I can,” Hockenson said, “then make a decision from there.” I asked him Sunday: If you win the Mackey Award (and he should), how do you improve from that? “There’s a lot of things I can improve on,” the Big Ten Conference’s tight end of the year responded."
While it wouldn’t surprise me to see him stay considering he is a small-town Iowa kid who is living the dream right now as a star Iowa football player, I have to believe he’s gone.
Verdict: He enters the draft
Nate Stanley
This may be puzzling to some people reading this after watching Nate Stanley’s season, which was by no means disappointing, but a little frustrating at times. To NFL evaluators, Stanley fits the bill for a prototypical NFL quarterback. The guy is 6’4”, 242 pounds and has a great arm, and he plays in a NFL offense led by offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz who is a disciple of the Bill Belichick coaching tree.
The biggest knocks on him have to be his decision-making and accuracy at times, which as any Iowa football fan would know by watching games this year, can be questionable.
That being said, Josh Allen went in the top ten last year despite completing just 56.2% of his passes in college and throwing 21 interceptions in two seasons as the starter at Wyoming. Teams can fall in love with potential, and Stanley has all the potential in the world.
What makes this decision potentially more enticing is the lack of a top-tier quarterback in this class. Unlike other positions were a lack of high-end talent would not be an issue as teams would just wait to draft those guy, with quarterback it’s a whole different story. Just think EJ Manuel. Manuel was not a great prospect, but was the best of a bad bunch and managed to get drafted in the first round.
If Stanley had a great few months leading up to the draft, a team could fall in love with him and take him high.
While coming back would allow him to continue the refinement of his game, he would be without Noah Fant and senior wide receiver Nick Easley as well as potentially TJ Hockenson. Moreover, he would be then entering a class that predicts to be loaded at the quarterback position.
Ultimately though, I don’t think the NFL Draft Advisory Board will give him a first or second round grade, and he will return which would be pretty exciting news for the Iowa football team. With another season under his belt, he has the opportunity to break a few records and establish himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the history of the Iowa football program.
Verdict: Stays for senior season