Undrafted Hawkeyes fighting for NFL spot

As training camp approaches, six undrafted Hawkeyes will be fighting for a roster spot in the NFL.

Iowa+wide+receiver+Nick+Easley+dives+for+a+toucdown+during+the+Outback+Bowl+game+between+Iowa+and+Mississippi+State+at+Raymond+James+Stadium+in+Tampa%2C+Florida+on+Tuesday%2C+January+1%2C+2019.+The+Hawkeyes+defeated+the+Bulldogs+27-22.

Nick Rohlman

Iowa wide receiver Nick Easley dives for a toucdown during the Outback Bowl game between Iowa and Mississippi State at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Tuesday, January 1, 2019. The Hawkeyes defeated the Bulldogs 27-22.

Robert Read, Sports Reporter

The quiet portion of the NFL calendar is rapidly coming to a close as training camps league-wide will be underway with a bang in the coming days.

Most teams are having rookies report to camp this week, with veterans to follow shortly after. From city to city, team to team, former members of the Iowa football program will suit up in an effort to make rosters.

For some, this will be an easier task than for others.

Pro Bowlers George Kittle and Marshal Yanda will have no trouble surviving training camp cuts, and neither will 2019 first-round draft picks T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant. Fourth-rounders Amani Hooker and Anthony Nelson have slightly more difficult paths but should still find a home with the teams that drafted them and contribute in their rookie seasons.

No, those with the toughest path to securing a spot on NFL rosters are undrafted free agents who must fight through limited reps and playing time to make names for themselves as a professional.

Iowa has numerous former players who fit into that category from last year’s team alone. Nick Easley, Jake Gervase, Parker Hesse, Matt Nelson, Ross Reynolds, and Keegan Render will head into training camps trying to keep their football careers alive.

Easley and Gervase, two walk-ons who gave performances for the ages in the team’s Outback Bowl victory against Mississippi State, wind up on different parts of the country with the same mission in mind.

Easley, the 2019 Outback Bowl MVP, will join the Buffalo Bills for training camp and has a chance to contribute for a team with a thin crop of wide receivers. Gervase, under contract with the reigning NFC Champion Los Angeles Rams, will man the secondary alongside many league veterans, most notably six-time Pro Bowler Eric Weddle.

RELATED: Ruden: Easley belongs in the NFL

Reynolds and Render, who are with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, respectively, will try to continue Iowa’s track record of producing quality offensive linemen for the NFL, no matter where the player is drafted or if selected at all.

Reynolds has already been considered a gem of the undrafted pool by many league analysts, and he should feel at home on a roster that includes three other former Hawkeyes (Kittle, C.J. Beathard, Greg Mabin).

Render will play alongside one of the most talented starting offensive lines in the league while in camp with the Eagles, headlined by center Jason Kelce. The line lacks depth however, so the former Hawkeye center could see an opening and take it.

Both Reynolds and Render will have to adjust to playing in the NFL, but their adjustment is nothing compared with Hesse’s and M. Nelson’s.

Hesse, a team captain and defensive end for the Hawkeyes in 2018, will now be lining up at tight end for the Tennessee Titans. The position switch means Hesse will be the third tight end from last season’s Iowa team to find a spot in an NFL training camp.

Hesse has been thrust into unexpected positions before. As a freshman, he became a starter after Drew Ott tore his ACL. This is a very different situation but one Hesse is likely prepared for. The Waukon, Iowa, native last played offense in high school, when he played quarterback, running back, and wide receiver.

Matt Nelson is an equally difficult transition to the other side of the ball. He will be flipping over to offensive linemen for the Detroit Lions. At 6-8, 295 pounds, Nelson has the size of an NFL-caliber offensive tackle. It will just be the question of whether he has the technique.

These six players, and many more, will be fighting for roster spots and for jobs this summer. Only time will tell if the battle will be won.