4 questions ahead of Iowa football’s 2022 pro day

IOWA CITY — Iowa fans disappointed by the men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling results from the weekend have something else to focus on Monday — Iowa football’s pro day.

Iowa will have 10 prospects at its pro day — Dane Belton, Tyler Goodson, Tyler Linderbaum, Caleb Shudak, Kyler Schott, Matt Hankins, Xavior Williams, Zach VanValkenburg, Jack Koerner and Ivory Kelly-Martin — the team said in a social media graphic.

Here are four questions for Iowa prospects ahead of the Hawkeyes’ pro day Monday:

How does Tyler Linderbaum perform in the typical pre-draft drills?

After being unable to participate in drills at the NFL Combine because of his recovery from a foot injury, Iowa’s pro day will have even more importance for the center from Solon.

Linderbaum suffered the foot injury during the Citrus Bowl and returned for the last drive, but his recovery did not leave enough time to properly train for the NFL Combine.

Even if Linderbaum has a setback at the pro day, he has a strong argument for being a first-round pick.

» Read more: Tyler Linderbaum takes same approach from Iowa to NFL Draft

What impact does Xavior Williams’ lack of snaps since 2019 have on his draft stock?

At one point, it didn’t seem like much of a stretch for Xavior Williams to hear his name called in the NFL Draft. But after sitting out in 2020 and playing just 94 snaps in 2021, per Pro Football Focus, Williams doesn’t have much recent tape to show NFL scouts. A productive pro day is essential for Williams, but even with that, he has the downside of also being in a relatively deep class of defensive backs.

How healthy is Matt Hankins after suffering a season-ending injury in November?

Hankins, who used his extra COVID-19 year of eligibility in 2021, was producing a lot of results through Iowa’s first 10 games. He had three interceptions and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which goes to the best defensive back in college football.

Then he missed the last two regular-season games, Big Ten championship game and Citrus Bowl with an injury. Even with the missed time, he earned second-team All-America honors from the Walter Camp Foundation and American Football Coaches Association.

Considering the lack of time to evaluate Hankins toward the end of the season, being healthy enough to participate in Iowa’s pro day would be especially helpful.

Who among the seven prospects who didn’t receive combine invites can catch the eye of NFL scouts?

Of Iowa’s 10 prospects at its pro day, only three were invited to the NFL Combine. Other prospects — for example, Koerner or VanValkenburg — have a good shot at making a training camp roster. A good performance at Iowa’s pro day could help those odds.

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