It’s that time of the year, where football season begins to feel like it’s nearing. NFL training camp kicks off over the next couple of weeks, which means many former Iowa Hawkeyes will be getting back on the practice field with their respective NFL squads. Rookies Tory Taylor, Cooper DeJean, Joe Evans, Logan Lee, Erick All, Noah Shannon and Steven Stilianos will be making their first ever appearances at an NFL training camp.
In all, Iowa has 42 players on NFL rosters, including four players on the Detroit Lions, as well as three on the New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. There is a former Iowa player on 25 of the 32 (78.1%) NFL teams. We take a look at all 42 players and check out what is in store for them during the 2024 NFL season.
Arizona Cardinals: CB Michael Ojemudia
As a rookie during the 2020-21 season, Michael Ojemudia totaled 62 tackles and four forced fumbles for the Denver Broncos. Over the last three seasons, he has appeared in just six games. Ojemudia spent most of last season on the Rams practice squad, but was signed by the Cardinals in January.
Baltimore Ravens: C Tyler Linderbaum, OLB Joe Evans
In his rookie season with the Ravens, Linderbaum started 17 games and was rated as the 16th-best blocking center in the NFL by ProFootballFocus. He finished seventh in the AP Rookie of the Year voting. This past season, Linderbaum started 15 games and finished as the 9th-best blocking center in the NFL. He earned Pro Bowl honors for the first time in his career. Tyler will be the starting center for the Ravens barring injury.
One of seven Hawkeye rookies, Joe Evans was apart of a 22-player undrafted free agent class for the Ravens. Evans led Iowa with 9.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss last season. He earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and ranks fourth in program history with 28 career sacks.
Buffalo Bills: DE AJ Epenesa
Coming off of the best season of his career, AJ Epenesa will be battling Von Miller and Greg Rousseau for the majority of the snaps at defensive end. Last season, AJE totaled 21 tackles, eight tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and ten QB hits. He also registered a pick six against the Commanders. Epenesa has slowly seen his numbers rise over the last couple of years. Could 2024-25 be his best one yet?
Carolina Panthers: ILB Josey Jewell, WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette
For the first time in his career, Josey Jewell is playing for a new team. After spending six seasons with Denver, Jewell signed with the Panthers in free agency. Last season, Josey totaled 100+ tackles (108) for the third time in four seasons, while he combined for five forced and recovered fumbles. Jewell is projected to start at inside linebacker for Carolina.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette saw time as a punt returner and a wide receiver for the Panthers last season. The stats suggest that Ihmir probably deserved a few more touches than Carolina gave him. Offensively, Smith-Marsette finished with eight catches for 51 yards and five first downs, while he got eight carries for 74 yards and one touchdown. As a punt returner, Ihmir led the league with 37 returns and was sixth in return yards (322). He did register a 79 yard punt return TD against the Jets.
Chicago Bears: P Tory Taylor
There is plenty of overlap between the Hawkeyes and Bears fanbases, so there was a lot of excitement around this addition. Tory Taylor was drafted in the fourth round by Chicago. The two-time Big Ten Punter of the Year will be the starting punter for the Bears this season. Over the course of his career, Taylor averaged 42.6 yards per punt.
Cincinnati Bengals: S Geno Stone, TE Erick All Jr
It has been a couple of years since the Bengals had a Hawkeye on their roster and Geno Stone was a notable offseason addition. Last season for Baltimore, Stone totaled 70 tackles and seven interceptions, which was the second-most in the NFL. His 85.3 coverage grade ranked 8th-best amongst all safeties in the league. Stone will make an immediate impact on the Bengals defense.
Another product of TEU headed to the NFL. The Bengals drafted Erick All in the fourth round of the draft. All caught 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns last year for Iowa, but was out for the season after seven games. He will start behind Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample and Tanner Hudson, but don’t be surprised if he impresses in the preseason.
Dallas Cowboys: DT Carl Davis, DT Chauncey Golston
Carl Davis has stuck around in the NFL for quite some time now and is entering his ninth season in the league. His season-high for tackles is just 19, which came two years ago with the Patriots. Davis is entering his second year with the Cowboys and is projected as a third-string nose tackle.
Entering his fourth year with the Cowboys, Chauncey Golston has carved out a decent role as rotational defensive tackle. Golston is averaging 28.3 tackles per season, including 29 last season. He enters the season as DT2 behind Osa Odighizuwa.
Denver Broncos: CB Riley Moss
A core muscle injury that required surgery really put Riley Moss in a tough spot as a rookie last season. He missed all of training camp, the entire preseason and a couple of regular season games. Moss was limited to just 25 defensive snaps and totaled just six tackles, with most of his time coming on special teams. In year two, he will look to battle for a starting spot and earn meaningful snaps at corner.
Detroit Lions: LB Jack Campbell, TE Sam LaPorta, TE Parker Hesse, ILB Ben Niemann
A pair of former Hawkeyes helped the Lions win a playoff game for the first time since 1991. Jack Campbell appeared in 20 games with 14 starts, racking up 110 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks. Campbell finished with 9+ tackles in four games, including a season-high 12 in week 17 against the Vikings. Jack will be the starting middle linebacker for the Lions this year.
As if Iowa needed another example as to why they are TEU. Sam LaPorta made an immediate impact for Detroit, totaling 107 catches for 1,065 yards and 11 touchdowns. An impressive 55.1% of his receptions went for first downs. LaPorta recorded 5+ receptions in 12 games, broke the NFL record rookie receptions by a tight end and tied the NFL record for rookie touchdowns by a tight end. He’s already one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
A defensive lineman at Iowa, Parker Hesse flipped over to play tight end in the NFL and is entering his fourth season in the league. After catching nine passes for 89 yards during the 2022 season, Hesse appeared in just three games last year. The Lions signed him during the offseason where he will represent TEU well with Sam LaPorta.
Signed by the Lions over the offseason, Ben Niemann enters his seventh season in the NFL, with his fourth team. Over a four-year stretch from 2019-2022, Niemann combined for 20 starts and 251 tackles, but he appeared in just seven games last season for Denver. Ben is a good veteran addition for Detroit and he has a good shot at making the roster.
Green Bay Packers: DE Lukas Van Ness, LB Kristian Welch
As a rookie for Green Bay last season, Lukas Van Ness averaged 23.3 snaps per game as a rotational player. Van Ness totaled 37 tackles, nine tackles for loss and five sacks. With Rashan Gary and Preston Smith still on the roster, it appears that Lukas will stick at ED2 for the time being.
Over four seasons in the NFL, Kristian Welch has not logged more than 33 defensive snaps, but he has become a solid special teams player. For the Ravens and Packers, Welch has totaled 200, 381, 355 and 237 snaps on special teams. Last season for Green Bay, Kristian finished with six tackles. His ability to play on special teams has kept him in the league.
Houston Texans: CB Desmond King II
Desmond King II has really put together a solid NFL career, as he enters his eighth season in the league. King has totaled 105 games played, 56 starts and has recorded 45+ tackles in every single season. He started last season with Pittsburgh, but was released in October. Houston reclaimed him and King played seven games with the Texans, including three starts. He finished the year with 64 tackles, seven tackles for loss and two sacks, including 17 tackles in two playoff games. If the Texans don’t surprisingly release him (like last year), DKing should start at nickelback.
Indianapolis Colts: RB Tyler Goodson
It looked like Tyler Goodson was on his way to making the Packers final roster, but a shoulder injury during the preseason caused him to get waived. The Colts picked him up and Goodson made his NFL debut in the second half of the season. He finished the season with 19 touches for 121 yards and five first downs, including a long run of 31 yards. He may be RB3 for the Colts this season.
Jacksonville Jaguars: OG Brandon Scherff, QB CJ Beathard
Brandon Scherff enters his tenth season in the league and will hit start #125 this season. Over nine seasons, Scherff has totaled over 8,000 snaps, including back-to-back 1,000+ snap seasons. This past season, Brandon made marked improvement to his pass blocking numbers, jumping from 31 pressures allowed in 2022 to just 15 in 2023. Scherff is set to start at right guard for the Jags this season.
CJ Beathard has put together a solid career as a backup quarterback in the NFL, as he is entering his seventh season in the league. Last season, backing up Trevor Lawrence, Beathard appeared in seven games with one start. He completed 40 of 53 passes (75.5%) for 349 yards and one touchdown. In his one start, CJ completed 17 of 24 (70.8%) passes for 178 yards in the Jags 26-0 win over Carolina. QB2 is back for another year.
Los Angeles Chargers: ILB Nick Niemann, CB Matt Hankins
Nick Niemann is entering his fourth season with the Chargers and it has been an interesting first three seasons for him. He has totaled 22, 3 and 40 tackles through three years. Niemann appeared in 17 games with three starts this past season, racking up a career-high 40 tackles, including 11 in week 17 against Denver. Ben is currently listed as ILB2 for the Chargers.
An undrafted free agent signing by the Atlanta Falcons in 2022, Matt Hankins has yet to see any NFL action. He spent his rookie year on the Falcons practice roster and last season with the Chargers practice roster.
Los Angeles Rams: OT Alaric Jackson, OLB Zach VanValkenburg
After missing most of the 2022 season with blood clots in his legs, Alaric Jackson returned to start 16 games for the Rams this past season. He combined to have six games with 80.0+ game ratings for run or pass blocking. Jackson will battle Joe Noteboom for the starting spot at LT, but Alaric has a clear advantage and won the job last season.
As a rookie undrafted free agent, Zach VanValkenburg split time on the Rams practice squad and active roster. He appeared in nine games, totaling 56 defensive snaps, 96 special teams snaps, nine tackles and one sack. He will be battling guys like Ochaun Mathis, Nick Hampton and Keir Thomas for a roster spot at OLB.
Las Vegas Raiders: DT Noah Shannon
Noah Shannon is getting his shot in the NFL after some wondered if his full season gambling suspension at Iowa would end those hopes. Shannon finished with 44 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2022 and was set for a breakout year prior to his suspension. The Raiders signed Shannon as an undrafted free agent. He will spend training camp and the preseason trying to secure a roster spot.
Minnesota Vikings: TE TJ Hockenson
TJ Hockenson was having a career-best season until he suffered a season-ending injury during the Vikings week 15 game against the Lions. He came up just short of 100 catches and 1,000 yards. Still, it was a fantastic year. Hockenson caught 95 passes for 960 yards and five touchdowns. He would have likely led the league in both categories if he played the final two games of the year. Hockenson is one of the best tight ends in the league.
New Orleans Saints: DT Jack Heflin
Jack Heflin is entering his fourth year in the league, with the majority of that time coming as a member of the practice squad for the Packers, Giants and now the Saints. Heflin played in one game last season, logging 17 snaps and one tackle against the Panthers in week 14.
New York Giants: S Dane Belton, OT Matt Nelson, LS Casey Kreiter
Entering his third year in the league, Dane Belton is coming off of another solid year for the Giants. Belton totaled 33 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and a sack. He recorded a season-high six tackles and a sack in week 18 against the Eagles. Belton is listed as SS2 behind Tyler Nubin.
A defensive lineman at Iowa, Matt Nelson transitioned to offensive tackle in the NFL and after four seasons with the Lions, Nelson was signed by the Giants in free agency. He has played just 155 offensive snaps over the last two seasons and is currently listed as RT2 behind Evan Neal.
Another year, another season with Casey Kreiter as an NFL long-snapper. Kreiter is entering his fifth season with the Giants and his ninth season overall. He has appeared in 125 career games and had a career-high four tackles last season.
Philadelphia Eagles: CB Cooper DeJean
Cooper DeJean surprisingly fell to the second round of the draft and became a steal of a pick at #40 for the Philadelphia Eagles. He became the sixth Hawkeye defensive back to get selected in the last ten seasons and the highest Iowa defensive back drafted since Tom Knight was drafted #9 overall in the 1997 draft. DeJean was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Jim Thorpe Award at Iowa last season and was a unanimous All-American. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles use Cooper with Britain Covey at punt returner. He is currently listed as second-string nickelback behind Avonte Maddox.
Pittsburgh Steelers: OG James Daniels, DT Logan Lee
James Daniels is entering his third year with the Pittsburgh Steelers and his seventh year in the league. Since getting injured in 2020, Daniels has started 50 games. Last season, James recorded six games with 80.0+ ratings in run or pass blocking. He is listed as the starting RG for the Steelers this season.
The last of the seven Hawkeye rookies, the Steelers picked Logan Lee in the sixth round of the draft. In his final season at Iowa, Lee totaled 55 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks. He was an Honorable Mention All-Big Ten selection. Logan will have some work to do, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he snuck on to the week one roster for Pittsburgh.
Seattle Seahawks: TE Noah Fant
Noah Fant is entering his sixth year in the league and after a couple of years splitting catches for the Seahawks, he is the clear TE1 this season. Will Dissly is with the Chargers and Colby Parkinson is with the Rams. Last season, Fant caught 32 passes for 414 yards and 16 first downs. It was the lowest numbers of his career, but expect those to take a jump, as he will be the primary TE target for Geno Smith.
San Francisco 49ers: TE George Kittle
This may not be a popular opinion, but George Kittle is the best ‘big play’ tight end in the NFL. Forget Travis Kelce, Kittle was tenth in catches (65) amongst tight ends last season, but was first in receiving with 1,020 yards. That’s an absurd 15.7 yards per catch, while 64.6% of his catches went for first downs. George may not get the reception numbers of other tight ends, but his play making ability makes him a top three tight end in the league.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: OT Tristan Wirfs, OLB Anthony Nelson, S Kaevon Merriweather
As a rookie, Tristan Wirfs ranked as the #16 OT in the league, but over the last three years, Wirfs has ranked inside the top ten in the league per PFF. This past season, Tristan started 19 games for the Buccaneers. His 83.5 overall rating ranked 6th amongst all offensive tackles in the NFL, while his 86.1 pass block rating ranked 3rd. Barring an injury, Wirfs will start every game for Tampa Bay at left tackle.
Entering his sixth season in the league, Anthony Nelson has been a rotational edge defender for the Buccaneers. Over the last two seasons, Nelson has registered 662 and 446 defensive snaps. He has totaled 90 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks over that stretch, including three games with multiple tackles for loss. Anthony Nelson is listed as LOLB2 behind Joy Tryon.
As a rookie last season, Kaevon Merriweather appeared in 16 games with two starts. The majority of his snaps came on special teams, but Merriweather did log 164 defensive snaps. He finished the season with 21 tackles and a pass defended. Kaevon is listed as FS2 for the Bucs behind Antoine Winfield Jr
Tennessee Titans: S Amani Hooker, TE Steven Stilianos
Entering his sixth year with Tennessee, Amani Hooker is a veteran, appearing in 66 games with 37 starts over the course of his career. Last season, Hooker totaled 85 tackles, three tackles for loss and one interception. He is listed as the Titans starting strong safety going into training camp.
The last of seven former Hawkeye tight ends on NFL rosters, Steven Stilianos gets a shot with the Titans as an undrafted free agent. In his final year at Iowa last season, Stilianos caught eight passes for 96 yards, including a 37-yard reception against Nebraska. Tennessee has six tight ends on the roster, so it’s going to be a tall task for Stilianos to land a spot.
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