Iowa defensive lineman Logan Lee’s ‘ultimate goal’ is finally within sight at NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — Logan Lee still can recall the exact date when he stopped drinking soda without an ounce of hesitation.

Feb. 3, 2012. Not a drink since. Well, with one exception.

“Somebody gave me a drink of something and I took a sip by accident,” Lee said. “I was trying to gag myself.”

That same willpower to go more than 12 years without soda by his choosing — something that started with a $100 bet that he could go a year without it — also applies to Lee’s drive to eventually be at the NFL Combine.

“I’ve been watching these since I was 8 years old,” Lee said. “Been looking forward to, ‘Hey I’m going to make it. I’m going to make it there.’”

This year, Logan Lee made it.

Instead of watching the hoopla in Indianapolis on NFL Network, Lee is at the combine as one of the 321 participants auditioning for an NFL role next year.

Lee’s pursuit of the NFL — his “ultimate goal” — follows three seasons as a starter on Iowa’s defensive line.

The Orion, Ill., native was an all-Big Ten honorable mention in 2022 and 2023. He had 5.5 tackles for loss and three sacks last season although statistics do not tell the full story.

“We’re a two-gap team, so it’s not necessarily about statistics for us,” Lee said. “But just being able to continually take on double teams, continually hold your ground and allow the guys behind us to do what they do.”

Iowa’s overall results on the defensive line were impressive in 2023. The Hawkeyes finished in the top 10 with only 3.14 yards allowed per rushing attempt and, after a slow start, racked up 13 sacks in their last three games.

Lee clearly is appreciative of his time at Iowa — “love the guys, love the system, love the experience” — but he “never really considered going back” for a sixth season.

“We had a lot of success at Iowa, and I’m forever grateful for everything they’ve done for me,” Lee said in his official NFL Combine sweatshirt from a podium in the Indiana Convention Center. “But it’s like this is the next step, and I don’t see any reason to prolong it if we’re ready to do it.”

Lee also knew the “projections are favorable” for him as he pursues the NFL Draft.

Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 137th-best prospect in the class although media prognostications are not nearly as reliable as the NFL feedback the Iowa staff receives.

NFL teams to meet with Lee at the combine so far include the Steelers and Cowboys. The meeting with the Steelers’ defensive line coach was “pretty neat” because Lee grew up as a Steelers fan.

“It all comes full circle,” Lee said.

The East-West Shrine Bowl, which took place Feb. 1 in Frisco, Texas, gave Lee an earlier opportunity to impress NFL scouts and meet with teams.

“I wanted to be able to show that I could pick up a new defense because I’ve been in the same defense for five seasons,” Lee said. “I can pick up a defense. I can pick up new techniques and be able to apply them throughout the course of a four-day week.”

Eric Galko, the Shrine Bowl’s director of football operations and player personnel, said in a tweet this week Lee “showcased his pass rush decisiveness and burst all week.”

“There were some areas where I was a little out of my element a little bit, but I was able to adapt and figure it out,” Lee said.

Lee has “not been worried about my weight at all” at this stage of draft preparation. He will get his official combine measurements on Thursday, but said Wednesday he weighs in the mid-280s.

“Most of the individuals I’ve talked to have said they want me around 290,” Lee said. “Before the pro day, I’ll put some weight back on. … 290 is a pretty reasonable number for me.”

Lee has been training for the draft in Fort Myers, Fla. He and his wife, Tori, made the approximately-three-hour drive south from Orlando after Iowa’s Jan. 1 Citrus Bowl loss.

He has worked on “minute details that will help you gain an inch, lose a tenth of a second, all that little stuff” with X3 Performance and Physical Therapy. The company is working with 45 athletes, including 25 who received invites to the NFL Combine, according to WBBH-TV in Fort Myers.

“The work they do there is awesome,” Lee said. “Have been improving a lot. Looking forward to actually getting a number on the board.”

Lee has watched “different clips from different people and their different skill sets” in the NFL, including Aaron Donald, Chris Jones and Cameron Heyward.

“Everybody has their own strengths and it’s just about trying to pick up on the little things,” Lee said.

In a feat even more impressive than giving up soft drinks for more than a decade, Lee will finally get his chance to try to impress scouts at the NFL Combine when he participates in on-field drills on Thursday.

"We made it,” Lee said. “Next step is to perform, so looking forward to that.”

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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