Iowa football: Which UDFAs will make the active roster

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IOWA CITY, IOWA- NOVEMBER 10: Wide receiver Nick Easley #84 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs up the field during the first half against defensive back Cameron Ruiz #18 of the Northwestern Wildcats on November 10, 2018 at Kinnick Stadium, in Iowa City, Iowa. (Photo by Matthew Holst/Getty Images) /

There are six former Iowa football players who signed UDFA deals after the draft. Here’s a projection of who will make the team and who won’t.

Not getting drafted in the NFL Draft is not the end of the road for all undrafted players, but it certainly makes the road to the NFL a lot more difficult. For every Chris Harris Jr, Doug Baldwin, or Tony Romo, there are hundreds of guys who sign undrafted free agent deals out of college who never see a snap of real NFL action. It’s a brutal world, and right now there are six former Iowa football players living in it.

To be fair, three of these guys (Keegan Render, Nick Easley, and Ross Reynolds) were priority undrafted free agents meaning NFL teams were hot on their trail as soon as they realized they could slip out of the draft, meaning their chances of sticking are slightly greater, but even those greater odds aren’t always the best.

Two other Iowa football players are making position switches to the other side of the ball, which is never easy to do, especially after college, and the last guy on this list had to win a contract through a tryout.

However, there is no better college football program that prepares players more for life as an undrafted free agent than the Iowa football program. The culture Kirk Ferentz built thrives on guys who have always had to work harder to be better, making these guys ideal for the rigors of being on the NFL roster bubble.

There is a reason why two former Iowa football players didn’t just make NFL rosters last season after not getting drafted, but thrived. Linebacker Ben Niemann went on be PFF’s top-rated special team’s player after playing all season for the Chiefs and offensive tackle Ike Boettger stuck with the Buffalo Bills and saw action in four games.

With six guys battling for spots this year, odds are against every single one of these guys making the active roster, but I’ve learned to never count out an Iowa football player.

Here are the odds and projections for each of the Iowa football program’s UDFA’s who trying to make an NFL roster this season.