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Iowa football: Five Hawkeyes who should get a shot at the XFL

By Andrew Wade

PISCATAWAY, NJ - SEPTEMBER 24: Akrum Wadley #25 of the Iowa Hawkeyes carries the ball as Trevor Morris #15 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights defends at High Point Solutions Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ - SEPTEMBER 24: Akrum Wadley #25 of the Iowa Hawkeyes carries the ball as Trevor Morris #15 of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights defends at High Point Solutions Stadium on September 24, 2016 in Piscataway, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 19: Riley McCarron #83 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs the ball after a catch during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on November 19, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – NOVEMBER 19: Riley McCarron #83 of the Iowa Hawkeyes runs the ball after a catch during the game against the Illinois Fighting Illini at Memorial Stadium on November 19, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Matt VandeBerg/Riley McCarron

Two things surprise me about these two guys. The first is that Matt VandeBerg never even got a contract and the second is that Riley McCarron has managed to stick around the NFL for so long.

Although each of their games are different, they are both similarly talented individuals who would be a quarterbacks dream in the XFL.

Prior to a foot injury and Nick Easley joining the Iowa football team, Matt VandeBerg was the go-to guy for CJ Beathard on the Iowa football team. When he did come back, he didn’t have as good of a connection with Nate Stanley, and he moved to the outside, not typically the best spot for Iowa receivers to get fed the ball, but the guy can play and he tested well at Iowa’s pro day.

Riley McCarron has had a bit of a different path than VandeBerg. He didn’t have nearly as much production as he caught fewer balls for less receiving yards in his career than VandeBerg did during the 2015 Rose Bowl campaign. But an explosive 4.36 40-yard dash put him on the radar of NFL teams and he hung around with the New England Patriots the last two seasons.

Now though, he is out of work, and for any of the XFL teams that look to feature a high-flying passing attack, McCarron should be on the radars as a guy who can stretch the field.

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