From now until the 2026 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Iowa Guard, Beau Stephens.
No. 70 BEAU STEPHENS/GUARD, IOWA (RS SENIOR) – 6054, 315 pounds
Measurements
Player Ht/Wt Hand Size Arm Length Wingspan
Beau Stephens 6054/315 9 1/4 31 1/8
40-Yard Dash 10-Yard Dash Short Shuttle 3-Cone
5.35 1.82 N/A N/A
Broad Jump Vertical Bench Press
8’6″ 28 N/A
THE GOOD
– Veteran team leader
– Has big game experience
– Good help on combination block
– Gets good initial contact
THE BAD
– High pad level
– High pad level decreases play strength
– Can get knocked back by powerful defenders
– Short arms
– Bad athletic ability
– Heavy feet that slow him down
– Bad change of direction
– Average play strength
– Bad balance in space and when attached
– Lunges forward and has head over feet
– Falls on ground too much
– Lacks spatial awareness and runs into teammates and falls on ground
– Struggles to finish as a run blocker due to bad balance and average play strength
– Does not have a strong anchor due to high pad level
– Can get bull rushed
– Struggles to pass protect vs hands due to short arms
– Struggles to attach in space
– Struggles to find assignment in space
– Out of control feet as a puller
STATS
– Started 35 games across 5 seasons at Iowa
– 2025: allowed 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, 4 pressures, and had 0 penalties
– Run Blocking Grade: 85.1. Pass Blocking Grade: 92.5. Overall Grade: 87.7
– Career: Allowed 4 sacks, 4 QB hits, 25 pressures, and had 6 penalties
INJURY HISTORY
– 2025: Dealt with a minor upper body injury but played through it
– 2024: Missed one game due to an ankle injury
– 2023: Suffered a season-ending leg injury, limiting him to starting only 5 games
BACKGROUND
– Turning 24 in November of 2026
– Was named a 2025 First Team All-American
– Received 2025 First Team All-Big Ten honors
– Won the Joe Moore Award, recognized as the national top offensive line unit
– Named Iowa’s comeback player of the year in 2024 after his knee injury in 2023
– Four-star recruit out of Blue Springs High School in Missouri
– Ranked the No. 36 offensive tackle in the country
– Played offensive and defensive line in high school
– Was first-team all-state as a junior
– Stephens played basketball and wrestled growing up, and he credits his wrestling background as to why he is a successful offensive lineman
– Has tattoo on his right forearm that is a large tree with a thick trunk that says “purpose” underneath, says he will add birds to the branches for his future children
TAPE BREAKDOWN
Beau Stephens has played a lot of snaps at the college level, but it is hard to see why he was awarded so many accolades for his play. He lacks the necessary skills to win consistently on the line of scrimmage in college, which does not make me confident he will be successful in the NFL.
To start, he has poor athletic ability. A good measure of how athletic a player is is how often he is on the ground, and Stephens loses balance and falls a lot. He does not have the body control to move in space and block defenders. Here, he needs to climb to the second level but cannot get there because he loses balance.
His explosiveness off the ball is average, and he struggles to consistently reach-block, which is a problem in Iowa’s heavy outside-zone offense. His feet are heavy, and he lumbers around the field, so when he contacts a defensive lineman, he will get knocked back. On this play, he needs to block a light 3-technique on outside zone, which should be an easy task, but he gets knocked back into the ball carrier.
In space, Stephens struggles to find his assignment, and when he does, he lacks the speed to attach quickly. Iowa struggled a lot when running to his side because he would spend too long on combinations and couldn’t make it to the second level. On this crack toss play, he needs to get to the Mike linebacker to block the point, but he is too slow to get there. Iowa has numbers to create an explosive run, but it does not work out.
When Stephens needs to pull, his heavy feet show up. His pad level is so high that defenders can dip under him and undercut his angle, destroying the play. His feet are so out of control, which leads to him struggling to finish the block. Here, his assignment does not make the play, but it illustrates how out of control he is while on the move.
A positive I can say for Stephens as a run blocker is that when he gets attached to weaker defenders, he can drive them downfield, but this usually shows up when linebackers are near the line of scrimmage. His help on combinations is solid, and he gets a bump here from the center, but he drives the weaker defensive lineman downfield to create an angle for the running back.
In pass protection, Stephens does not have the arm length to win against defenders who use their hands well. He will lunge to try to get attached first, which limits his play strength. He does a good job of identifying stunts and can hold up on double teams, but I do not trust him 1v1 due to his poor hand fighting and slow change of direction. Iowa helps the offensive line a lot in pass protection with long slide protections, but the reps where he is 1v1 do not look good. He is also prone to getting bull rushed because of his high pad level and average play strength, as shown on this play. He gets long-armed and pushed back into the quarterback.
CONCLUSION
Beau Stephens does not have the athletic ability, play strength, or finishing ability to start in the NFL. He could be a backup because of his playing experience and leadership, but if he has to start because of an injury, that offensive line will be in trouble.
NFL Projection: Mid-Day 3
Steelers Depot Grade: 6.1 (Pure Backup)
Grade Range: 5.8-6.4
Games Watched: at Iowa State (2025), vs Indiana (2025), vs Penn State (2025), vs Oregon (2025)
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