The NFL pipeline from Iowa City remains strong under Iowa Head Coach Kirk Ferentz. During the 2025 NFL Draft, five former Hawkeyes heard their names called in Green Bay. Three of the five Hawkeyes drafted were selected in the seventh round.
Draft picks selected after the fifth round are not guaranteed to make an NFL roster or sign rookie contracts. Two former Hawkeyes inked rookie deals and aim to prove themselves at the next level.
Connor Colby (offensive lineman), San Francisco 49ers (Seventh Round, No. 249 overall)
After being an anchor on the Iowa offensive line, Connor Colby is headed to the Bay. Colby joins fellow Hawkeye George Kittle in San Francisco.
The six-foot-five, 309-pound Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native, made 50 career starts for the Iowa Hawkeyes. During the 2024 season, Colby started all 13 games for Iowa en route to earning First Team All-Big Ten honors.
He also started all 13 games as a junior and earned Third Team All-Big Ten honors.
The 49ers are thin along the offensive line, and Colby should push for a significant role with the 49ers next season. Colby inked a four-year deal with the Niners and will wear No. 75.
Luke Lachey (tight end), Houston Texans (Seventh Round, No. 255 overall)
"Tight End U" graduate Luke Lachey headed to H-Town after the 2025 NFL Draft. On Friday, it was announced that Lachey will wear No. 42 and has signed a four-year rookie contract.
Lachey is coming off a season where his numbers did not jump off the page. That was largely due to the Iowa quarterback's inability to get him the ball. He finished the season with 231 yards on 23 catches, a far cry from what he is capable of.
Before a gruesome leg injury during the 2023 season, Lachey looked like a high NFL draft pick. After he was sidelined for most of the 2023 season, rumors floated around that he was leaving Iowa City for the NFL.
He returned to Iowa for his senior season (2024) and became a late-round NFL Draft pick.
If he continues to improve and stays healthy, the Texans could have a solid one-two punch with Lachey and Dalton Schultz.
Signing rookie deals is a great step in the right direction, but these two former Hawkeyes must continue to work hard to stay on an NFL roster.