On April 23-25, dreams will come true for 257 college football athletes at the 2026 NFL Draft. Five Hawkeyes were selected in the 2025 draft, with running back Kaleb Johnson being the highest selected of the group at pick 83 by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Offensive lineman Gennings Dunker is Iowa’s highest-ranked prospect at No. 51 on ESPN’s “Best Available” list. Dunker is ranked as the seventh-best offensive tackle in this year’s draft, but he’s not the only highly-touted lineman for the Hawkeyes.
Center Logan Jones is ranked as the third-best center in ESPN’s prospect ranking and was the 2025 Rimington Trophy winner, awarded to the best center in the country.
Rounding out the prospects for the Joe Moore Award-winning Iowa offensive line is Beau Stephens, who is ranked No. 11 among offensive guards. Stephens recently visited with six teams ahead of the draft, including the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, and Atlanta Falcons, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Other Hawkeyes projected to be drafted this year include cornerback TJ Hall, wide receiver Kaden Wetjen, and defensive end Max Llewellyn.
Who goes where?
According to ESPN NFL draft analyst Matt Miller’s seven-round mock draft, Dunker is projected to be the first Iowa prospect off the board, landing with the Steelers at pick 76.
The next Iowa player off the board in Miller’s mock is Hall at pick 88 to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The third-team All-Big Ten cornerback would be potentially slotted opposite of two-way star Travis Hunter.
Projected in round four to the San Francisco 49ers at pick 127 is Jones. The 49ers struggled with injuries across their offensive line in 2025, and Jones would join his former Iowa teammate, Connor Colby, in the trenches.
In round five, Llewellyn is expected to land with the Baltimore Ravens with the 174th pick. Stephens is projected to go one round later to the Detroit Lions at pick 213, before Wetjen rounds out the Hawkeye selections in the final round, projected to be selected by the New York Jets with pick No. 228.
With mock drafts come lots of variation between analysts’ projections. For example, NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter predicts Dunker to be selected at pick 61 by the Los Angeles Rams, 15 picks ahead of where Miller’s mock has him landing.
Other Hawkeyes projected in Reuter’s five-round mock draft include Jones at pick 115 to the Ravens, and Wetjen to the New Orleans Saints with the 172nd pick, 56 picks higher than ESPN’s seven-round mock.
How the Hawkeyes fit
Dunker makes perfect sense for many teams with offensive line needs, and landing with the Steelers would be exactly what they need. Pittsburgh has a hole at left guard after losing Isaac Seumalo to free agency, and while Dunker is a tackle, he can easily slide into that role and bring his physicality to the Steel City.
If the Jacksonville Jaguars land Hall at pick 88, they could be looking at a potential steal in the 2026 draft. While Hall only recorded one interception in his senior season, he ranked second in the Big Ten in pass breakups with 10 and showed impressive press coverage abilities.
The Ravens picking Jones at 115 would be the perfect fit, as Baltimore just lost All-Pro center and former Hawkeye Tyler Linderbaum to free agency. Linderbaum signed a record deal with the Las Vegas Raiders to become the highest-paid center in the league.
Jones would be the perfect replacement, having played with Linderbaum at Iowa and displaying a similar skillset to the three-time Pro Bowl selection.
Llewellyn and Stephens are likely depth picks for their respective projected teams, with Llewellyn adding depth to a Ravens pass rush that ranked 29th in sacks in 2025.
Stephens to the Lions could be beneficial for Detroit if he can earn a spot out of camp, bringing some nastiness to the offensive line, something head coach Dan Campbell loves.
Wetjen would likely be used as a return specialist for either the Jets or the Saints. The Williamsburg, Iowa, native was the first-ever two-time Jet Award winner for the best return specialist in the country.
Wetjen would be a perfect fit for New Orleans, as the Saints traded their previous return specialist, Rashid Shaheed, to the Seahawks during the 2025 NFL season. Wetjen would easily slide into that role and produce at a similar level to Shaheed with his blazing speed.
The NFL Draft will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on April 23-25. Round one on Thursday will begin at 7 p.m. CST on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network.