How former Iowa, Iowa State athletes fared at 2024 NFL Combine

INDIANAPOLIS — The last of the NFL Draft hopefuls left Indianapolis earlier this week after their time at the scouting combine.

The Indiana Convention Center has fully switched gears from combine activities to a work-truck-related trade show. The fans queued in the corner of the convention center have all the autographs that they’re going to get.

As prospects look forward to their pro days, here is a look at where the four Iowa, one Iowa State and one ex-Iowa players invited to the NFL Combine stand after their week in Indianapolis:

Iowa DB Cooper DeJean

Measurements: 6-foot-0.5, 203 pounds, 31.125-inch arm length, 9.625-inch hand length

DeJean did not participate in combine drills as he recovers from his season-ending lower-leg injury. He has been medically cleared, though, and began running at “full speed” the week before the combine.

That gives him plenty of time to return to a competitive level and work out in front of NFL scouts ahead of April’s draft. He was a projected first-rounder ahead of the combine, and nothing in Indianapolis seemed to change that.

Projection: Middle of first round

Iowa State DB T.J. Tampa

Measurements: 6-foot-1, 189 pounds, 32.125-inch arm length, 9.625-inch hand length

Tampa did not work out in Indianapolis because of what he described as a “mild hamstring injury.” The Big 12’s pro day at the end of the month will serve as another opportunity for Tampa to work out in front of NFL teams.

Tampa remains projected to be an early-round selection, in part thanks to his physicality and length at the cornerback position.

Projection: Early second round

Iowa P Tory Taylor

Measurements: 6-foot-4, 223 pounds, 32.125-inch arm length, 9-inch hand length

Anyone clamoring to see whether Taylor could beat so-called “Punt God” Matt Araiza’s 4.68-second 40-yard dash time from 2022 will be disappointed. Taylor punted in front of NFL teams, but like many other specialists, did not participate in the traditional combine drills.

“Don’t want to be breaking too many records,” Taylor said jokingly.

In all seriousness, Taylor entered the combine as the apparent top punter in the draft class and leaves the combine as the top punter in the draft class as well. Where exactly Taylor gets drafted will be a product of how much NFL teams value the punter position, which can vary from year to year.

Projection: Third or fourth round

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Iowa DL Logan Lee

Measurements: 6-foot-5, 281 pounds, 32 1/4-inch arm length, 10 1/4-inch hand length

40-yard dash: 5.05 seconds (11th-best out of 19 defensive tackles)

10-yard split: 1.77 seconds (12th-best out of 19 defensive tackles)

Vertical jump: 31.5 inches (seventh-best out of 21 defensive tackles)

Broad jump: 9 feet, 6 inches (fifth-best out of 20 defensive tackles)

3-cone drill: 7.16 seconds (best out of five defensive tackles)

20-yard shuttle: 4.37 seconds (tied for best out of 11 defensive tackles)

Bench press: 25 reps (eighth-best out of 10 defensive tackles)

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Lee undoubtedly helped his draft stock with impressive numbers in the three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle and vertical and broad jumps. The Orion, Ill., native’s three-cone time was almost a half-second better than the rest of the defensive tackles’ times.

Lee’s strong showing at the combine complements the leadership and durability that made him such a dependable piece of the defensive line as a three-year starter at Iowa.

He has some weight still to gain — NFL teams “want me around 290,” he said — but that is far from an insurmountable challenge. His leadership and durability at Iowa

Lee appears to be an especially low-risk option for a team on the third day of the NFL Draft.

Projection: Fifth or sixth round

Former Iowa WR (and most recently Purdue RB) Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Measurements: 5-foot-11, 209 pounds, 31.75-inch arm length, 9.125-inch hand length

40-yard dash: 4.48 seconds (eighth-best out of 21 running backs)

10-yard split: 1.53 seconds (seventh-best out of 21 running backs)

Vertical jump: 40 inches (second-best out of 21 running backs)

Broad jump: 10 feet, 4 inches (sixth-best out of 20 running backs)

3-cone drill: 6.81 seconds (best out of six running backs)

20-yard shuttle: 4.06 seconds (second-best out of nine running backs)

Tracy’s invitation to the NFL Combine was impressive in itself considering the challenges he faced earlier in his career at Iowa and then Purdue.

Then at the combine, Tracy boosted his draft stock with one of the best vertical jumps for a running back in recent history. (Only three running backs have posted better numbers since 2017 — Saquon Barkley in 2018, A.J. Dillon in 2020 and Isaac Guerendo in 2024.)

With a relatively small sample of work at running back — he had 113 carries in 2023 after making the move to running back — Tracy will be more of a wild card than some of his fellow running backs in the 2024 draft class.

Projection: Fifth, sixth or seventh round

Iowa TE Erick All

Measurements: 6-foot-4, 252 pounds, 33-inch arm length, 10.125-inch hand length

The timing for Erick All’s pursuit of the NFL is not ideal.

He still is recovering from ACL surgery on his right knee, limiting what he can show NFL scouts in the lead-up to the draft. Between his season-ending knee injury in 2023 and his season-ending back injury in 2022, he has played a combined 10 games in the last two years.

All showed NFL potential in his productive seven games as a Hawkeye. His high upside will be appealing to an NFL team, but his medical situation brings a higher level of risk than teams with challenging salary cap circumstances may be comfortable taking.

Projection: Sixth or seventh round

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com

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