Iowa Football: Ranking the top five Hawkeyes in the NFL

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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 09: Josey Jewell #47 of the Denver Broncos breaks up a pass against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on December 9, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

5. Josey Jewell

Josey Jewell started his football legacy in Decorah, Iowa, where helped lead the Vikings to a 3A State Championship and earned All-State honors as a two-way player.

Despite being a two-star recruit, Jewell joined the Iowa football team, and the rest is history.

Jewell was an absolute stud as a linebacker for the Hawkeyes. During his career, he amassed 437 tackles, 10 sacks, and 6 interceptions and was in the running for the Butkus, Bednarik, and Nagurski Award throughout his tenure with the Hawks. He did, however, receiver the Lott IMPACT Award and Jack Lambert Award while being named First Team All-American in 2017. After a stellar Iowa football career, Jewell was selected in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos.

His rookie season was up and down, but he did record 58 tackles. Despite the uneven performance throughout his rookie campaign, I put Jewell at number five because he has a lot of potential once he adjusts to the physical (not mental) speed of the game. He has impressive strength for his size and an even more impressive IQ that makes up for his lack of quickness.

He is the unquestioned starter at the inside linebacker spot with the Denver Broncos in year two, and Vic Fangio will be relying heavily on Jewell to be a factor on defense.

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