Where Iowa’s draft prospects stand ahead of 2025 NFL Combine

IOWA CITY — Iowa football is well represented at this week’s NFL Combine.

Running back Kaleb Johnson, linebacker Jay Higgins, tight end Luke Lachey, offensive lineman Connor Colby, defensive lineman Yahya Black and defensive backs Sebastian Castro and Jermari Harris are all in Indianapolis this week.

The combine presents a salient opportunity to impress scouts on and off the field and therefore improve one’s draft stock. That is especially important considering the bulk of Iowa’s draft prospects do not have high projections at this point in the pre-draft process.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projected Johnson last month to go No. 24 overall to the Minnesota Vikings, but he has been the exception when looking at mock drafts from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and others. NFL.com writer Chad Reuter projected Johnson to go No. 72 overall in his three-round mock draft earlier this month, and Johnson was the only Hawkeye included.

Here is a closer look at where each of Iowa’s seven players stand ahead of their combine drills later this week (listed in order of ESPN’s prospect rankings):

Kaleb Johnson

Pro Football Focus overall ranking: No. 60

ESPN overall ranking: No. 50

ESPN positional ranking: No. 3

Ashton Jeanty, the 2024 Heisman runner-up, is widely considered the top running back in this year’s draft class. Johnson appears to be in the next tier of running backs along with North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton after his record-breaking 2024 season in Iowa City.

Sebastian Castro

PFF overall ranking: No. 73

ESPN overall ranking: No. 84

ESPN positional ranking: No. 6

Castro especially caught attention in 2023, when he grabbed three interceptions and allowed a 43.7 NFL passer rating, per PFF. His 2024 numbers were not quite as good, but he still offers a versatile, hard-hitting option for NFL teams seeking help at safety or slot corner.

Luke Lachey

PFF overall ranking: No. 208

ESPN overall ranking: No. 147

ESPN positional ranking: No. 9

Lachey caught a career-best 71.8 percent of targets in 2024, per PFF, and brings plenty of upside at the tight end position. His draft stock would probably be higher if it had not been for his injury misfortune and Iowa’s continued passing struggles.

Connor Colby

PFF overall ranking: No. 165

ESPN overall ranking: No. 190

ESPN positional ranking: No. 11

Colby could become the 20th Iowa offensive lineman drafted in the Kirk Ferentz era after starting 50 games in his four-year Hawkeye career. The Cedar Rapids native was a first-team all-Big Ten honoree in 2024 and a third-team all-Big Ten honoree in 2023.

Jay Higgins

PFF overall ranking: No. 199

ESPN overall ranking: No. 206

ESPN positional ranking: No. 13

It is surprising to see Higgins not get more love from draft prognosticators after his high level of production over the last two seasons. He tied a Hawkeye program record for tackles in a single season in 2023 and was named a unanimous All-American in 2024.

The combine will be a homecoming for Higgins, who attended high school about 12 miles north of Lucas Oil Stadium.

Yahya Black

PFF overall ranking: n/a

ESPN overall ranking: n/a

ESPN positional ranking: n/a

Yahya Black has an enviable combination of size, strength and skill that could be quite appealing to NFL teams. As a two-gap defensive tackle, his impact on Iowa’s defensive line was evident in many ways that transcended the box score.

Jermari Harris

PFF overall ranking: n/a

ESPN overall ranking: n/a

ESPN positional ranking: n/a

Harris had an excellent 2024 season while he was on the field. He had a career-best 36.8 NFL passer rating allowed and 43.2 percent reception rate, per PFF. Another couple games of film may have helped Harris’ draft stock.

Notable Hawkeyes who did not get combine invites

Offensive lineman Mason Richman highlights the list of Hawkeye players who did not secure a combine invitation. Richman’s snub was despite starting 52 games at left tackle over the last four seasons and being named an all-Big Ten honorable mention in the last two seasons.

Defensive end Deontae Craig, linebacker Nick Jackson and defensive back Quinn Schulte also did not get combine invitations. After a relatively quiet regular season, Craig stood out in the 2024 Music City Bowl with four tackles for loss and two sacks.

Jackson had 555 career tackles in his four years at Virginia and two years at Iowa. Schulte, a former walk-on from Cedar Rapids Xavier, started in 40 games in his career and had a career-high three interceptions in 2024.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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