Two former Iowa Hawkeye stars set to participate in Senior Bowl

Former Iowa football players Chauncey Golston and Alaric Jackson will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Jan. 30 in an effort to impress NFL talent evaluators.

The Iowa Hawkeyes‘ 2020 season concluded over a month ago, but preparation for the 2021 NFL Draft has just begun for defensive end Chauncey Golston and left tackle Alaric Jackson.

The two former Iowa stars will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl on Jan. 30 in Mobile, AL, which will help showcase their talents to NFL scouts.

As the name would imply, the Senior Bowl invites college football’s most impactful senior players every year in an effort to bolster their draft stock. Both Golston and Jackson could benefit from excellent performances in practices this week.

The Senior Bowl pits two teams against each other and is run by actual NFL coaching staffs. This year, the Miami Dolphins’ coaching staff will lead the National Team. The Carolina Panthers’ staff will coach the American Team.

Golston and Jackson are both on the American Team.

The Senior Bowl is even more important this year – both for prospects and scouts – due to the coronavirus. It is the only pre-draft event where NFL personnel will be permitted to meet with players. Face-to-face meetings will be conducted with plexiglass separating the two parties.

In 2020, there were nearly 1,000 credentialed NFL personnel in attendance during Senior Bowl week.

Both Jackson and Golston had their measurements taken on Tuesday. Jackson weighed in at 6-foot-5 and 318 pounds, with 32.5-inch arms and 9.5-inch hands. Golston weighed in at 6-foot-4 and 268 pounds, with 33.75-inch arms and massive 11-inch hands.

Despite starting 42 games at left tackle for the Hawkeyes over the last four seasons, questions will be raised by NFL scouts about Jackson’s arm length. Evaluators consider 34 inches to be ideal in order to play offensive tackle in the NFL. Because of that, some personnel might believe Jackson would be better suited to play inside at guard. Jackson was named first-team All-Big Ten this past season by coaches and media.

Meanwhile, Golston was a stalwart at defensive end for the Hawkeyes during the past three seasons. He tied teammate Daviyon Nixon for second in the Big Ten in sacks (5.5) in 2020 and finished with 45 total tackles. Incredibly, Golston grabbed an interception in every season from 2018-20. He was named first-team All-Big Ten by media and coaches this past season.

You can catch Golston and Jackson in the Senior Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 30 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, AL, home of the University of South Alabama. Kickoff is set for 12:30 pm CT on NFL Network. Both Golston and Jackson will be wearing their Iowa Hawkeye helmets.