The NFL Draft is one of the next big items on the agenda for the sports world. While no former Iowa State player is expected to hear his name called in the first round, a handful are predicted to be selected over the course of the event.

ESPN’s Matt Miller compiled not only a first round NFL Mock Draft recently, but an entire seven round one. Miller has the Tennessee Titans grabbing Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick, someone Cyclone faithful are familiar with.

Ward played the first half of the Pop-Tarts Bowl last year vs. Iowa State. He opted to sit out after halftime as the Cyclones mounted a thrilling comeback victory. 

Three former Big 12 standouts are tabbed for selection among the first 32 picks led by Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter. Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan is the other from the league, as all three are off the board by pick No. 6.

The NFL Draft takes place April 24-26 from Green Bay, Wisconsin. It will air on NFL Network, NFL+, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and ESPN+.

Here is where ESPN has former Iowa State players selected in the mock draft:

No. 47: Jaylin Noel, WR

Noel is picked here with an early second round selection by the Arizona Cardinals. Miller writes “Noel is a slippery route runner with excellent start-stop quickness and sure hands.” He notes that his performance at the Senior Bowl helped position him to be selected here, adding, “he ran a 4.39 in the 40 at the combine and moved even higher up my board.”

No. 59: Darien Porter, CB

Big, strong cornerbacks are always going to be of interest in the NFL Draft, especially with teams from the AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens grab one here, as Porter is 6-foot-3 and over 210 pounds. Add in his 4.3 speed and Miller writes, “he’s an immediate special teams asset who could develop into a promising man or zone defender.”

No. 62: Jayden Higgins, WR

Noel’s running mate gets to catch passes from Josh Allen, as the Buffalo Bills grab the 6-3, 215-pounder just before the second round concludes. Miller notes that Higgins is “a true X receiver and has the ability to consistently win on breaking routes underneath.” He would form a solid trio with Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman.

No. 154: Jalen Travis, OT

The New York Giants, who have some newcomers stepping in at quarterback, will be happy to see the team draft Travis, a hulking offensive tackle. Travis checks all the boxes, coming in at 6-7 and almost 350 pounds.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Dust off those dancing shoes. It’s time to clog.

Clog dancing dates back centuries, originating from different forms of Irish, English, Scottish, German, Cherokee and African dances.

But it wasn’t until the 1970s that clogging took Iowa by storm, and cloggers will tell you it’s not the same as square dancing.

“It is different that we do have taps on our shoes,” one clogger told TV9’s Kevin Kendall in 1979. “We do have a lot of movements out there that are used in square dancing.”

Clogging does adopt some movements from square dancing, but it can incorporate many different types of music. At the time, disco music was a popular choice among some cloggers.

“That’s for the young ones. We can’t hardly keep up with them. That’s for the kids, that’s what they use is the disco tunes”

Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Handsfree driving legislation has made its way to Governor Kim Reynolds’ desk. It comes after the Iowa House passed the bill Wednesday, approximately seven years after it was first proposed.

And for Trooper Bob Conrad with the Iowa State Patrol, it’s been a long time coming.

“I think this is going to make a difference. It’s going to save lives. It’s going to make a lot of people happy,” he said. “To me, passing a law like this is one of those things that shows that we’re all working together for a common goal to make sure people go home at the end of the day.”

Although the bill has yet to be signed into law, Governor Kim Reynolds expressed her support for it in her Condition of the State earlier this year.

Currently, Iowa’s law allows drivers to physically manipulate their phones to make a call or check their maps when driving.

Under this new legislation, drivers can still use their phones, but instead of physically dialing the numbers to make a phone call, they will only be permitted to do it on a handsfree mode, such as Bluetooth or voice command, or with a single touch. The same thing goes for checking maps or sending text messages.

Otherwise, drivers could face a $100 fine, or even more if the violation hurts or kills somebody.

And while Conrad says he understands that it will take some time for drivers to adjust, it’s not impossible.

“This is not something that stops you from using your phone completely. It doesn’t keep you from getting the emergency phone call from your your children or or something else at work you need. It it just is about doing it better.” he said.

Copyright 2025 KCRG. All rights reserved.