It's draft season in the NFL, and soon four Iowa Hawkeyes will see their NFL dreams come true. As fans in Iowa City prepare to see what's next for the program back home, seeing the cream of the crop head to the next level is always a special treat.
The 2023 NFL Draft saw two Hawkeyes selected in the first round with Lukas Van Ness going to the Green Bay Packers 13th overall and linebacker Jack Campbell going18th to the Detroit Lions. The Lions also picked up tight end Sam LaPorta in the second round and saw him become a premiere focal point of their high-powered offense. Defensive back Riley Moss found his home in the third round as the 83rd overall pick to the Denver Broncos.
The 2024 Hawkeyes draft class is led by defensive back Cooper DeJean. An X-Factor on Iowa's vaunted 2023 defense, he will in all likelihood become the first white cornerback selected in the NFL Draft since 1969, though some teams may see him as a safety and could undo that bit of trivia.
Nonetheless, if he does hear his name called in the first round, he would be the first Hawkeye defensive back selected in the first round since 1997. That year, Tom Knight was selected ninth overall by the Arizona Cardinals.
DeJean has had to display some patience through the draft process as he recovered from a broken fibula he sustained at the end of the 2023 season. He was cleared to get back on the field around the time of the NFL Combine, and plenty of teams are interested in his services.
His defensive teammate Logan Lee, a defensive lineman, attracted some attention at the NFL Combine with a strong performance. While he's still likely to be a Day 3 pick, he could go a bit earlier than originally expected.
Logan Lee is a DT prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.33 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 109 out of 1620 DT from 1987 to 2024.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 1, 2024
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/aruly6lJ5I pic.twitter.com/73rTVufj4E
Back on the offensive side of the ball, Erick All looks to be the next in a long line of excellent NFL tight ends from TE-U. All caught 21 passes for 299 yards and three scores in his lone season with the Hawkeyes in 2023. All is projected as a Day 3 selection, so he may be yet another diamond in the rough from Iowa.
Towards the end of Day 2 or the beginning of Day 3 of the NFL Draft, Iowa fans will want to pay extra attention to see if a special Hawkeye hears his name called. Punter Tory Taylor set records for the Hawkeyes in 2023 and any team looking for a significant boost in the field position category would surely be interested in bringing in his thunderous right leg.
The NFL Draft is always a spectacle, but it's a bit more when fans get to see familiar faces achieve their dreams. Iowa fans can watch DeJean, Lee, All and Taylor find their NFL homes from April 25 through April 27 on the NFL Network or ESPN.
The first round will air Thursday, April 25 at 7 p.m. CST.
Day 2 with the second and third rounds will air Friday, April 26 at 6 p.m. CST.
Day 3 will have rounds 4-7 and will air Saturday, April 27 starting at 11 a.m. CST.