How Iowa football players fared at 2023 NFL Combine

IOWA CITY — Five Iowa NFL Draft hopefuls are one step closer to having an NFL home after competing in the scouting combine last week.

A combine invite alone is not enough to signal that a player is going to be drafted. Former Iowa running back Tyler Goodson, for example, was among the players to go to the combine last year, but not be drafted.

Here is how Iowa’s athletes performed at the combine along with how their Pro Football Focus ranking changed following their time in Indianapolis:

DE/EDGE Lukas Van Ness

Pre-combine PFF rank: 12

Post-combine PFF rank: 15

40-yard dash: 4.58 seconds (Tied for ninth out of 28 edge rushers)

10-yard split: 1.64 seconds (Tied for 14th out of 28 edge rushers)

Vertical jump: 31 inches (23rd out of 31 edge rushers)

Broad jump: 9 feet, 10 inches (Tied for 18th out of 31 edge rushers)

Three-cone drill: 7.02 seconds (Second out of nine edge rushers)

20-yard shuttle: 4.32 seconds (Second out of 11 edge rushers)

Bench press: 17 reps (24th out of 25 edge rushers)

Van Ness’ positional rankings come with an asterisk. The NFL Combine classified him as an edge rusher, but in reality, he is more of a tweener.

At 272 pounds, Van Ness is bigger than most others classified by the combine as defensive ends/edge rushers. But he is not quite as big as the defensive tackles at the combine.

Van Ness, if listed as a defensive tackle, would have had the best 40-yard dash, broad jump, three-cone drill and 40-yard shuttle of anyone at his position at the combine.

Van Ness entered the combine with first round projections, and that should remain the case after the combine.

LB Jack Campbell

Pre-combine PFF rank: 64

Post-combine PFF rank: 44

40-yard dash: 4.65 seconds (15th out of 16 linebackers)

10-yard split: 1.59 seconds (14th out of 16 linebackers)

Vertical jump: 37.5 inches (Tied for second out of 15 linebackers)

Broad jump: 10 feet, 8 inches (Second out of 15 linebackers)

Three-cone drill: 6.74 seconds (First out of five linebackers)

20-yard shuttle: 4.24 seconds (First out of six linebackers)

Bench press: n/a

Campbell undoubtedly helped his draft stock in Indianapolis after having some of the best marks among all linebackers.

The film of Campbell, the first Butkus Award winner in Iowa history, speaks for itself. Now, he has the measurements to back it up as well.

The NFL’s Next Gen Stats gave Campbell the highest “athleticism score” out of any linebackers at the combine.

At 6-foot-5 and 249 pounds, it’s no surprise Campbell’s 40-yard dash and 10-yard split were relatively slow. The average weight for linebackers at the combine was about 230 pounds.

TE Sam LaPorta

Pre-combine PFF rank: 57

Post-combine PFF rank: 50

40-yard dash: 4.59 seconds (Third out of 13 tight ends)

10-yard split: 1.59 seconds (Tied for fifth out of 13 tight ends)

Vertical jump: 35 inches (Seventh out of 14 tight ends)

Broad jump: 10 feet, 3 inches (Sixth out of 15 tight ends)

Three-cone drill: 6.91 seconds (Second out of five tight ends)

20-yard shuttle: 4.25 seconds (Third out of seven tight ends)

Bench press: n/a

LaPorta had one of the better combine performances in a tight end class that is especially deep in 2023.

His 40-yard dash (4.59 seconds) would have been the fastest time among tight ends in 2016 and second-fastest time in 2022, 2020, 2018, 2015, 2014 and 2013.

It was more than a tenth of a second faster than T.J. Hockenson (4.7).

CB Riley Moss

Pre-combine PFF rank: 145

Post-combine PFF rank: 150

40-yard dash: 4.45 seconds (Tied for 12th out of 29 cornerbacks)

10-yard split: 1.48 seconds (Tied for second out of 29 cornerbacks)

Vertical jump: 37.5 inches (Tied for sixth out of 30 cornerbacks)

Broad jump: 10 feet, 7 inches (15th out of 29 cornerbacks)

Three-cone drill: n/a

20-yard shuttle: n/a

Bench press: n/a

As Moss looks to be the first Iowa cornerback drafted since Michael Ojemudia in 2020, he put up Ojemudia-esque numbers in the combine.

Moss’ 4.45 40-yard time was the same as Ojemudia, who was a third-round pick. Moss had even better numbers in the 10-yard split, vertical jump and broad jump.

NFL’s Next Gen Stats gave Moss the eighth-highest “athleticism score” among cornerbacks, making him a likely second-day selection.

S Kaevon Merriweather

Pre-combine PFF rank: 272

Post-combine PFF rank: 280

40-yard dash: 4.62 seconds (Tied for 14th out of 19 safeties)

10-yard split: 1.58 seconds (Tied for 15th out of 19 safeties)

Vertical jump: 35.5 inches (Tied for ninth out of 19 safeties)

Broad jump: 9 feet, 10 inches (Tied for 15th out of 19 safeties)

Three-cone drill: n/a

20-yard shuttle: n/a

Bench press: n/a

Merriweather’s 35.5-inch vertical jump highlighted his combine measurements.

His numbers did not necessarily jump off the page. He did enough to to be in strong consideration for a Day 3 selection.

Former Hawkeye Geno Stone, a seventh-round pick in 2020, had the same 40-yard dash time as Merriweather did this year. Stone had a faster 10-yard split, but Merriweather had better vertical and broad jumps.

Merriweather, the inaugural winner of the Duke Slater Golden Gavel Award and a permanent team captain, also likely benefited from interviews with NFL teams.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com