The Iowa football program had five players selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Following the 2025 NFL Draft, Pro Football Focus released its NFL Draft Big Board for the 2026 class, which is less than a year away, but gives a good idea of where things are at with this draft class.
There were four Hawkeyes who made the list.
Iowa center Logan Jones came in at No. 59 overall on the big board. Jones was seen as one of the top draft eligible centers last season in college football and had a strong campaign for the Hawkeyes, but decided to stick around for a sixth year to lead the Iowa offensive line.
Jones is the fifth highest ranked center on the list.
Iowa right tackle Gennings Dunker comes in at No. 73 overall. Dunker was one of the best tackles in college football last season and is seen as the fifth draft eligible tackle on the board. He ranked 8th out of 643rd eligible tackles last season in college football, according to Pro Football Focus.
Iowa defensive tackle Aaron Graves is seventh amongst defensive tackles and 76th overall. He was 79th out of 895 eligible defensive tackles a season ago for Iowa, and he elected to return to Iowa City for his senior season to lead the Iowa defensive line, which should be one of the better units in the Big Ten.
Last on the list for the Hawkeyes is safety Xavier Nwankpa. The Southeast Polk product and former five-star recruit is coming off a so-so 2024 season, and his Pro Football Focus grade from the 2023 campaign is a lot more promising, as he was 18th out of 855 safeties during the 2023 season, according to Pro Football Focus.
A few other Hawkeyes that could've cracked the list but did not make the official one are quarterback Mark Gronowski, cornerback Shahid Barros, defensive end Max Llewellyn, and offensive tackle Bryce George, who could also play guard at the next level. Iowa kicker Drew Stevens could also be a candidate to get drafted if he has a big year even though specialists are not often selected in the draft.
Iowa Football: An early look at the Hawkeyes' top 2026 NFL Draft prospects
Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL Draft since 1978 and Kirk Ferentz has had 94 players selected in the draft during his time at Iowa.
Right now, it appears that Iowa is slated to have at least four selected in next April's draft, but that list could grow depending on how more players perform this coming fall for the black and gold.
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