Death, taxes, and former Iowa Football succeeding in the NFL. The greatest strength of the Iowa program over the years has been their ability to take lightly recruited high school players, get them into the program, and send them to the NFL.
Outside of the tight end and offensive line positions, the Hawkeye program has been a strong development program for defensive backs and linebackers.
Former Hawkeye Cooper DeJean set the NFL on fire when he intercepted Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl in February and ran it back for a touchdown. He was also just ranked as the No. 60 overall NFL player on the Top 100 Players of 2025 list.
Former Hawkeye linebacker Jack Campbell has impressed the Detroit Lions coaching staff so much that Head Coach Dan Campbell said it is now his defense.
Former Hawkeye defensive back Riley Moss fortified the Denver Broncos' secondary and has become a lockdown corner.
These are just a few examples of former Hawkeyes succeeding on defense in the NFL and during the first week of the 2025 NFL preseason, two former Iowa linebackers turned some heads.
Highest Graded Rookie Linebackers from Preseason Week 1:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) August 12, 2025
1️⃣ Nick Jackson, TB: 90.0
2️⃣ Jay Higgins, BAL: 88.1@HawkeyeFootball pic.twitter.com/zFoHBtJmnh
Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jay Higgins and Tampa Bay linebacker Nick Jackson were rated as the highest-graded rookie linebackers during week one of the preseason. Both players went undrafted during the 2025 NFL Draft.
Higgins tallied three total tackles and had a crucial interception against Riley Leonard during the Ravens' 24-16 win over the Indianapolis Colts in week one.
Jackson led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense in tackles with six total tackles and added an interception during the Buccaneers' dominating 29-7 win over the Tennessee Titans in week one.
Higgins and the Ravens travel to Dallas to battle the Cowboys on Saturday, August 16, at 6:00 p.m. Central Time for the second preseason game.
Jackson and the Buccaneers travel to Pittsburgh to take on fellow former Hawkeye Kaleb Johnson and the Steelers on Saturday, August 16, at 6:00 p.m. Central Time.