Iowa Football: Which Hawkeyes should declare for the NFL Draft
By Matt Opad
Could Geno be the next great defensive back drafted?
Geno Stone is quietly having a fantastic year for Iowa. Whether in coverage or defending the run, Stone consistently makes plays for Iowa football.
Stone doesn’t have the stat line that some of the great Iowa secondary members have had. He hasn’t won or been named the finalist for any award.
Geno is still one of the more dominant secondary Iowa football players. While I recognize his talent, I am not sure that NFL analysts and scouts are paying enough attention to him.
Plays like this show how important Geno is to Iowa’s elite defense. However, these types of plays do not even show up as a footnote in the box scores.
Some have mentioned Geno Stone in the same context as Amani Hooker as a potential early NFL Draft entrant. Because of his smaller stature and the [false] perception that he doesn’t have enough speed to be a safety at the next level, the lack of a big stat line may create a barrier to Geno entering the draft early.
I personally think that Geno is going to be the next Desmond King in the NFL. Unfortunately for him, however, I am not drafting for an NFL team.
Should I stay or should I go: At this point, Geno is a dark-horse to be drafted. Another year at Iowa, with high visibility games at Penn State and at Ohio State, could be incredibly beneficial to his 2021 NFL Draft stock.