Hawkeyes In NFL Draft

Here is a breakdown of the former Iowa Hawkeye players in this weekend's NFL Draft. The Draft begins on Thursday night on ESPN.

Adrian Clayborn:

Adrian Clayborn

Position: DE

Hometown: St. Louis, MO

Date of Birth: 07/06/88

Height: 6'3

Weight: 27

Vertical Jump: 35.5?

40 T: 4.83

Projection: 1st Round

Sports Illustrated's Mock Draft by Peter King shows Adrian being selected 24th by the New Orleans Saints. King also shows though that he thinks the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should select Clayborn with the 20th overall pick. Clayborn has NFL size and power, mixed with his versatility and athleticism at the DE spot makes Clayborn a great pick. The knock on him is his stamina and overall fitness. Dare you to say that to his face.

My prediction: Clayborn will go late in the 1st Round. There are a lot of DE's to choose from and I think teams are still skeptical of his fitness/endurance. I hope I'm wrong but the Saints at 24 might be his best option.

Tyler Sash:

Tyler Sash

Position: SS

Hometown: Oskaloosa, IA

Date of Birth: 05/27/88

Height: 6'0

Weight: 211

Vertical Jump: 33

40 T: 4.62

Projection: 3rd Round

Many different sports websites (Sporting News, Draft Bible) have Sash listed anywhere from a 3rd Rounder to a 5th rounder. Sash was a playmaker at Safety for the Hawkeyes and after his stellar Junior season decided to jump to the NFL. Sash is a great down hill tackler and defender and is best when just getting after the ball. He is knocked as not being the best man to man defender and is best suited for a Cover 2 NFL scheme.

Prediction: 3rd Round pick to the Indianapolis Colts.

Ricky Stanzi:

Ricky Stanzi

Position: QB

Hometown: Mentor, OH

Date of Birth: 09/03/87

Height: 6'4

Weight: 224

Vertical Jump: 34

40 T: 4.93

Projection: 4th Round

Stanzi is the proto-typical pocket passer who has actually been compared a lot to Tom Brady. An over the shoulder delivery, not the most mobile but can slide and make plays happen. Stanzi also has a winning pedigree going 26-9 in his career as a Hawkeye. Stanzi still needs to work on his accuracy and cutting it down on the interceptions, but his time spent working in a pro style system should pay off.

Prediction: 4th Round to the San Francisco 49ers

Christian Ballard:

Ballard

Position: DT

Hometown: Lawrence, KS

Date of Birth: 01/03/89

Height: 6'4

Weight: 286

Vertical Jump: 34?

40 T: 4.75

Projection: 2nd Round

Christian Ballard is a beast. Standing next to him was intimidating a few weeks ago at the Iowa Spring Game. Ballard is versatile as played both DT and DE at Iowa, so the experience is a positive. While Ballard is not an elite talent prospect, he has the motor and skills to be a solid NFL pass rusher. Ballard does need to gain some size and work on becoming better off the ball, more agressive and reading plays better. It obviosuly doesn;t help that it was just made public that he tested positive for marijuana during the NFL combine. Although teams have apparently known for awhile, it definitely makes NFL teams ask questions about his “intelligence.”

Prediction: 2nd Round to the Green Bay Packers

Allen Reisner:

Allen Reisner

Position: TE

Hometown: Marion, IA

Birthdate: 09/29/1988

Height: 6'5

Weight: 250

40-T: 4.97

Vert: 28.0

Long story short, you know what you're getting with Reisner. He is a hard worker with a high football IQ who has decent receiving skills and will contribute as a blocker. The downside is he also has a low ceiling with limited potential. Reisner should be drafted but will probably be a special teams player or 3rd TE for some teams at best.

Prediction: 6th Round

Karl Klug:

Karl Klug

Position: DE

Height: 6'3

Weight: 275

Vertical Jump: 29.5?

40 T: 4.81

Projection: 5th Round

Klug's biggest positive, is his versatility. At the next level, he could has a fit in almost any team's defensive line. He is quick for a tackle and explosive enough to play as a defensive end.

Prediction: 5th Round

Derrell Johnson-Koulianos:

DJK

Position: WR

Hometown: Campbell, OH

Date of Birth: 02/24/87

Height: 6'0

Weight: 200

40 T: 4.52

Projection: Free Agent

DJK is a smooth runner with average hands that can make plays after the catch. He also returns kicks and excels with the ball in his hands. We all know DJK can make plays at the next level we'll just have to wait and see if teams give him a chance.

Prediction: Undrafted Free Agent

Julian Vandervelde:

Julian Vandervelde

Position: Offensive Guard

Height: 6'2

Weight: 300 lbs.

40 Time: 5.12

Projection: 5th Round

A fundamentally sound blocker with good agility and quickness Vandervelde can fill a lot of holes along an offensive line. Good at getting to the 2nd level, and walling off linebackers. With Julian your always getting maximum effort. He lacks ideal height and frame for an NFL OLineman and could be overwhelmed by the next level.

Prediction: 7th Round

Ryan Donahue:

Ryan Donahue

Position: P

Height: 6'3

Wegiht: 190 lbs.

Donahue has good hang-time and consistently able to pin teams inside the 20. Punters are not often taken in drafts but considering his talents, he has a good chance of being selected late in the draft.

Prediction: 7th Round

Good Luck to all of the Hawkeyes in the Draft!

Joseph Larsen

Community Contributor