The Iowa Hawkeyes have a number of talented players ready to move on to the professional level. Who are their top players eligible for the 2019 NFL Draft?
The Iowa Hawkeyes have just one game left in their 2018 season, a New Year’s Day bowl game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
This game will be the last for a number of 2019 NFL Draft prospects. Iowa has a number of NFL-caliber players but not as many this year who will be available for the 2019 class.
Let’s take a look at the top players who will be eligible to make the leap to the NFL after this bowl game, and how likely each of these players is to move on.
Noah Fant, TE
The Hawkeyes boast one of the most special talents in the country at the tight end position in Noah Fant. Fant, unfortunately for the Outback Bowl viewers, will not be playing in the final game of Iowa’s season.
His season is over, and his Iowa career is over.
Fant has declared his intent to enter the 2019 NFL Draft, and he will be the odds-on favorite to be the first player selected at his position. Why?
Fant is a mismatch in the passing game, able to blow by defenders with speed and play like a wide receiver in a tight end’s body. When it comes to athletic testing, Fant is expected to be among the fastest at his position and should blow people away with his vertical jump and pretty much every other athletic metric.
He uses that speed, explosiveness, and leaping ability on the field as a deep threat, after the catch, and in the red zone.
More than a traditional tight end, Fant is a matchup player teams will move around the offensive formation and get involved primarily as a receiver. He’s not a traditional outside receiver, but the NFL is utilizing players with Fant’s set of skills in the passing game. Despite his size (6-foot-4, 241 pounds) and reputation as strictly as a receiver, Fant is a willing blocker and obviously had to do it at Iowa where they run a very traditional pro-style offense.