Iowa
Leistikow: Way-too-early look at Iowa football’s NFL Draft prospects in 2026
How losing 35 pounds has helped Iowa right tackle Gennings Dunker
“Cardio is definitely better and allows me to play faster,” the junior said after dropping from about 350 pounds to 315.
TV announcers often say during Iowa football broadcasts something about the Hawkeyes being known for their offensive-line play. After all, that was the position specialty of longtime Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz. So, it’s a familiar narrative.
Yet when it comes to the NFL Draft, Iowa really hasn’t been shuttling a ton of offensive linemen to the next level. Sure, there have been a handful of recent high-profile (and successful) picks – with first-rounders in tackle Tristan Wirfs (No. 13 overall) in 2020 and center Tyler Linderbaum (No. 25) in 2022. But entering the April 24-26 draft, those were the only two Hawkeye offensive linemen picked in the previous six drafts. And the 2025 draft only marginally reflected Iowa’s offensive-line resurgence of 2024, when the Hawkeyes ranked No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference in rushing.
The 2026 NFL Draft, though, should restore Iowa’s offensive-line prominence.
Yes, Iowa in 2025 did have multiple offensive linemen selected in the draft for the first time since 2015, when tackles Brandon Scherff (first round) and Andrew Donnal (fourth round) heard their names called. But both were taken in the seventh and final round, with Mason Richman (Seattle Seahawks) going No. 234 overall and Connor Colby (San Francisco 49ers) going No. 249 out of 257 picks.
Let’s take a spin through some of Iowa’s potential top prospects for the next year’s draft, which will take place April 23-25, 2026, in Ferentz’s hometown of Pittsburgh.
First-round talent: Gennings Dunker
Dunker (6-5, 316) plays a premium NFL position, offensive tackle, and has supreme strength and mobility that will translate well to the next level. Given the success that Wirfs had going from right tackle to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a rookie in 2020, some team will find comfort in adding a plug-and-play starter in Dunker, who never even thought of entering the 2025 draft – instead wanting to play a fifth year for offensive-line coach George Barnett.
The decision could pay off with first-round millions, as Dunker will be viewed as one of the top tackles in the country in 2025. If Iowa plays well and he stays healthy, Dunker will be mentioned as an Outland Trophy candidate. According to Pro Football Focus, Dunker was the highest-graded tackle in the Big Ten Conference and No. 5 nationally in his 588 snaps in 2024. He is mauler and finisher in the run game.
Dunker may need to slide to guard in the NFL, but we’ll see. Nonetheless he has a chance to become the seventh offensive lineman under Ferentz to be taken in the first round, joining Robert Gallery (2004), Bryan Bulaga (2010), Riley Reiff (2012), Scherff, Wirfs and Linderbaum.
Video: Logan Jones on decision to return to Iowa for 2025 season
Logan Jones discusses a variety of topics on December 20, 2024.
Another can’t-miss lineman: Logan Jones
Jones (6-3, 293) also surprised many by returning for a sixth-year season rather than entering the 2025 draft. His return was also motivated by playing another year for the well-liked Barnett (and Ferentz), and it’ll also be accompanied by Rimington Trophy hype as the nation’s top center.
Jones will be a fourth-year starter for the Hawkeyes and wears the same number (65) as Linderbaum did, flashing similar athleticism and strength as the former Rimington winner from Solon. Jones in 2024 received the fourth-highest grade of all FBS centers from Pro Football Focus. While center isn’t a premium NFL position, the second and third rounds are often sweet spots for top players at that position to be drafted.
Iowa has not had two offensive linemen selected in the first three rounds since Eric Steinbach and Bruce Nelson (both second-rounders) in 2003. Dunker and Jones could break that 23-year drought.
Video: QB Mark Gronowski details his decision to transfer to Iowa
Iowa quarterback Mark Gronowski meets with the media on April 10, 2025.
Keep an eye on the quarterback: Mark Gronowski
Gronowski (6-3, 230) put off the NFL for one more year to transfer from South Dakota State to Iowa as a sixth-year senior. How he comes through offseason (throwing) shoulder surgery and performs regularly against power-conference competition will ultimately determine his 2026 draft stock.
But before his shoulder injury, he was viewed as a draftable prospect in the 2025 quarterback class. Gronowski’s accuracy against Big Ten defenses will be a big factor in his professional outlook. No question, he’s viewed as a winner (49-6 as a starter) with the ability to scramble for first downs.
Video: Max Llewellyn preparing for bigger role on Iowa defensive line
Iowa defensive lineman Max Llewellyn meets with the media on April 3, 2025.
Who will be Iowa’s highest-drafted defender?
There are at least four obvious candidates and a wild-card fifth. Let’s look at each of them quickly.
Defensive end Max Llewellyn (6-5, 258): Edge rushers are a premium position in the NFL, and Llewellyn ranked No. 18 nationally in that category, according to PFF, among FBS players in 2024. Llewellyn’s strength is on the pass rush (getting 288 snaps in a backup role last year) but needs to improve his run defense as a first-time starter in 2025.
Defensive tackle Aaron Graves (6-4, 300): The fourth-year senior has supreme physical traits and has racked up decent stats despite a system at Iowa that minimizes sheer numbers for interior defensive linemen. Graves showed durability last season, too, logging 612 defensive snaps and was graded as the No. 79 overall interior defender by PFF.
Safety Xavier Nwankpa (6-2, 215): Loaded with promise, the former five-star recruit needs to deliver with a big senior season to take the next step to the NFL. With his physical traits, Nwankpa could increase his stock considerably by flashing the ball-hawking skills that made him such a prized prospect out of Southeast Polk High School. Nwankpa hasn’t had an interception since the 2023 season opener.
Video: Iowa DB Koen Entringer talks development ahead of 2025 season
Iowa defensive back Koen Entringer meets with the media on April 3, 2025.
Defensive back Koen Entringer (6-0, 207): A fourth-year junior in 2025, Entringer probably has the most athleticism in the entire Iowa secondary and has a chance to explode this season with a starting role – either at strong safety or cash for defensive coordinator Phil Parker. Entringer could become a fast riser with a 2026 draft decision to make.
Linebacker Karson Sharar (6-2, 232): Including Sharar’s name on this list because of how highly his teammates and coaches have spoken of his raw ability. Now, the oft-injured fifth-year senior finally gets a chance to start after waiting his turn behind Nick Jackson for two years at weak-side linebacker. Breakout year loading?
Iowa always has a tight end, it seems
Iowa’s recent tight-end pipeline has gone from T.J. Hockenson to Noah Fant to Sam LaPorta to Erick All Jr. to Luke Lachey … to now Addison Ostrenga (6-4, 251).
Ostrenga has the physicality and athleticism to play in the NFL, but his stats have been muted in Iowa’s passing-challenged offense over the past several years. How he connects with Gronowski in each of their final years will determine whether he’s a draftable NFL prospect. Given Iowa’s pedigree at tight end, he’ll get a strong look.
Beau Stephens bullish about Iowa’s offensive line in 2025
The fifth-year senior should slot in as the Hawkeyes’ starting left guard again. He also talks about up-and-coming guard Kade Pieper.
Two more offensive linemen worth mentioning
It’s hard to say now how recently signed Division II transfer Bryce George (6-5, 314) will translate to the NFL until we see him going against Big Ten competition (like Penn State and Oregon) for nine regular-season games. George is expected to slot into a starting tackle spot (probably on the left side) for Iowa in 2025.
Additionally, it is on the table that left guard Beau Stephens (6-6, 322) sees a breakthrough as a fifth-year senior with a lot of experience.
How can terrific Iowa placekicker Drew Stevens get better yet?
Now going into his senior year, Stevens talks about the preparing coming off a year of great success.
Another Iowa specialist on the watch list
Tory Taylor was plucked as an elite punter in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Could senior placekicker Drew Stevens (6-0, 205) follow suit? Stevens has a rocket leg with extreme accuracy, connecting on 20 of 23 field goals a year ago with his only misses coming from 50-plus yards.
Given the ability of NFL kickers like Brandon Aubrey to change games by consistently hitting from 60-plus, Stevens does have a chance to show he’s a difference-making kicker who deserves to be drafted. Three kickers were taken in the 2024 draft (all in the sixth round).
Hawkeyes columnist Chad Leistikow has served for 30 years with The Des Moines Register and USA TODAY Sports Network. Chad is the 2023 INA Iowa Sports Columnist of the Year and NSMA Co-Sportswriter of the Year in Iowa. Join Chad’s text-message group (free for subscribers) at HawkCentral.com/HawkeyesTexts. Follow @ChadLeistikow on X.
MONONA, Iowa (KCRG) – One person was injured and a suspect is dead after a stabbing in Monona Wednesday night.
Monona police responded to a report of a stabbing in the 200 block of South Page Street at 7:37 p.m.
Officers found a person outside a residence suffering from multiple stab wounds. The person was taken to a local hospital with a tourniquet applied.
According to investigators, the suspect barricaded himself on the second floor of the residence, where he had access to several firearms. The Clayton County CERT Team was called in after several attempts to get the suspect to exit the residence failed.
The suspect was found dead from what police believe was a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This is an ongoing investigation. No further information has been released.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
Iowa
Democrats will debate in Iowa US Senate primary shaped by outside money and big-name endorsements
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two Democrats vying to be Iowa’s next U.S. senator are scheduled to debate Thursday, as each seeks to convince voters he’s better positioned to flip the Republican-held seat in a contest that has seen heavy outside spending and high-profile endorsements.
State lawmakers Zach Wahls and Josh Turek are competing in a June 2 primary. It is one of a few remaining competitive Democratic Senate primaries this year, as the party looks to find the best approach to reclaim the U.S. Senate this fall.
Iowa’s Republican Sen. Joni Ernst opted out of a reelection bid, leaving the seat open for the first time since she replaced retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin in 2014. Republican Senate leaders have backed Ashley Hinson, a congresswoman representing northeast Iowa, committing $29 million for her to help keep their thin majority.
Democrats see an opportunity to flip seats in the once-competitive state, despite President Donald Trump’s double-digit win in the last presidential election and an all-Republican federal delegation. But first they need to settle which federal candidate will be at the top of the ticket. Early voting began Wednesday.
An influx of cash has shaped the final stretch
While Wahls and Turek have raised and spent similar amounts, a Democratic political organization, VoteVets, has spent about $7 million to support Turek in the final stretch of the campaign. That’s more than the two candidates have spent combined.
Turek, who is not a veteran, was born with spina bifida after his father’s exposure to chemicals while serving in the Vietnam War. The group has said Turek is uniquely positioned to advocate for veterans’ services, especially health care and military families.
Wahls has criticized the influx of cash as insiders in Washington trying to exert outsized influence, and it’s likely to come up again Thursday, as it did at an Iowa Press debate last week.
Tensions over the future of the party
Wahls has been vocal about who should — or should not — lead Senate Democrats, saying he would not vote for Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York to be the caucus leader.
“The leadership of Chuck Schumer has failed the Democratic Party, it has failed the state and it has failed this country,” Wahls said during last week’s debate. “Dark money has an agenda, and that agenda is to protect the broken status quo and the failed leadership of Sen. Schumer.”
Schumer has tried to keep the focus on Republicans.
Wahls is endorsed by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, who joined him in Iowa for campaign events over the weekend. The progressive senator told voters the Senate needs Democrats who are willing to “get in there and stand up and fight.” Wahls also often highlights the support he’s seen from unions and local elected officials.
Turek responded to Wahls’ criticism saying he’s not a “DC insider.”
“I don’t know these folks,” he said. Turek explained his criteria for leader candidates but stopped short of saying he wouldn’t support Schumer.
“I will go up and ask whoever is deciding to run for leadership … ‘What are you going to do for Iowa? What are you going to do for Iowans? What are you going to do for the middle class?’” Turek said.
In the last week, Turek unveiled a rare endorsement from Harkin, who represented Iowa in Washington for three decades, as well as former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Turek also has collected endorsements from sitting U.S. senators, including Illinois’ Tammy Duckworth, New Hampshire’s Maggie Hassan and Nevada’s Catherine Cortez Masto.
Drawing greater contrast on issues
In the first debate last week, Turek and Wahls were aligned on many issues. Both said that they would not support the Republican president’s tariffs or the war in Iran and that they do support raising the minimum wage and restoring health care access with a public insurance option. They criticized corruption in Washington and proposed higher taxes on corporations and wealthy Americans.
But they also started to draw some contrasts. More of that is likely Thursday.
Wahls referenced a law Turek supported in the Iowa legislature that makes it a state crime to be in the U.S. illegally. Turek defended his vote, saying it was Biden-era legislation and stressed the importance of a secure U.S.-Mexico border. Turek said he also supports an easier path to citizenship and reforms to immigration enforcement under the Trump administration.
Turek highlighted his working-class background and contrasted his work for a nonprofit with Wahls’ work for a super PAC focused on electing young Democrats.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.
Fort Dodge Donnybrook champion Dru Ayala
Hear why Fort Dodge’s Donnybrook Champion Dru Ayala, brother of Drake Ayala, chose the Hawkeyes and has unfinished business in high school
Iowa State wrestling has added another lightweight through the transfer portal, earning the commitment of former Hawkeye Dru Ayala on Wednesday, May 13.
Ayala has been with the Hawkeyes for two seasons, with an 11-4 record as a true freshman and not competing in 2025-26. The 125-pounder will have at least three years of eligibility remaining.
“Grateful for where I’ve been, excited for where I’m going. Go Cyclones,” Ayala said in an Instagram post.
Before his time in Iowa, Ayala was a four-time state medalist with Fort Dodge. He made the state semifinals all four years and had a 153-16 record. He is the brother of former Hawkeye wrestler Drake Ayala, who recently accepted a position as an assistant coach with the Cyclones.
Iowa State has had multiple major departures with Anthony Echemendia, Christian Castillo, Daniel Herrera and others heading to the transfer portal. As a result, the Cyclones have been busy adding to the roster, with Dru Ayala joining Ayden Smith (Rutgers), Brayden Thompson (Oklahoma State) and Rin Sakamoto (Oklahoma State).
Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23.
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