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Where new NFL Draft grades from The Athletic have Iowa players landing

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Where new NFL Draft grades from The Athletic have Iowa players landing


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The NFL Draft is two weeks away, and new prospect grades for more than 50 Iowa college and high school football players have been released.

Here is what to know about the 2026 NFL Draft and a breakdown of the draft projections for Iowa players, according to The Athletic’s “The Beast,” its annual comprehensive NFL Draft scouting guide.

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When is the 2026 NFL draft?

The 2026 NFL draft will begin with the first round on Thursday, April 23. Rounds 2 and 3 occur the following day, and the draft will conclude on its third day with Rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 25.

Pittsburgh — home of the Steelers — will host the 2026 NFL draft. 

How did The Athletic grade Iowa college football players ahead of the 2026 NFL draft?

The Athletic’s “The Beast” report included rankings of players from Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, Drake, Grand View and Upper Iowa.

  • Gennings Dunker, guard: No. 5 out of 159 players at his position
    • Grade: 3rd round projection
  • Logan Jones, center: No. 3 out of 78 players at his position
    • Grade: 3rd-4th round projection
  • Max Llewellyn, defensive end: No. 18 out of 270 players at his position
    • Grade: 4th round projection
  • Beau Stephens, guard: No. 11 out of 159 players at his position
    • Grade: 4th-5th round projection
  • TJ Hall, cornerback: No. 24 out of 318 players at his position
    • Grade: 6th round projection
  • Kaden Wetjen, wide receiver: No. 30 out of 380 players at his position
    • Grade: 6th round projection
  • Karson Sharar, linebacker: No. 24 out of 243 players at his position
    • Grade: 7th round projection
  • Drew Stevens, kicker: No. 3 out of 40 players at his position
    • Grade: 7th round-free agent projection

  • Mark Gronowski, quarterback: No.17 out of 99 players at his position
    • Grade: 7th round-free agent projection
  • Xavier Nwankpa, safety: No. 23 out of 271 players at his position
    • Grade: 7th round-free agent projection
  • Bryant Worrell, long snapper: No. 20 out of 48 players at his position
  • Hayden Large, tight end: No. 33 out of 156 players at his position
  • Aaron Graves, defensive tackle: No. 67 out of 249 players at his position
  • Ethan Hurkett, defensive end: No. 84 out of 270 players at his position
  • Jonah Pace, defensive tackle: No. 84 out of 249 players at his position
  • Seth Anderson, wide receiver: No. 87 out of 380 players at his position,
  • Jacob Gill, wide receiver: No. 106 out of 380 players at his position
  • Bryce George, guard: No. 107 out of 159 players at his position
  • Sam Phillips, wide receiver: No. 118 out of 380 players at his position,
  • Shahid Barros, cornerback: No. 195 out of 318 players at his position
  • Derek Anderson, tight end: No. 104 out of 156 players at his position
  • Blake Anderson, offensive tackle: No. 109 out of 146 players at his position
  • Bill Jackson, running back: No. 111 out of 213 players at his position
  • Mo Olowo, safety: No. 122 out of 271 players at his position
  • Caleb Frazer, linebacker: No. 177 out of 243 players at his position
  • Tucker Langenberg, linebacker: No. 193 out of 243 players at his position
  • Jonathan Cabral-Martin, cornerback: No. 198 out of 318 players at his position
  • Domonique Orange, defensive tackle: No. 6 out of 249 players at his position
    • Grade: 2nd-3rd round projection
  • Tyler Perkins, punter: No. 13 out of 40 players at his position
  • James Neal III, offensive tackle: No. 27 out of 146 players at his position
  • Jim Bonifas, center: No. 27 out of 78 players at his position
  • Tyler Miller, offensive tackle: No. 53 out of 146 players at his position
  • Tamatoa McDonough, defensive end: No. 56 out of 270 players at his position
  • Dylan Barrett, guard: No. 65 out of 159 players at his position
  • Tyler Moore, tight end: No. 76 out of 156 players at his position
  • Cannon Butler, defensive end: No. 101 out of 270 players at his position
  • Tyler Maro, offensive tackle: No. 128 out of 146 players at his position
  • Eli Green, wide receiver: No. 185 out of 380 players at his position
  • Myles Mendesoon, defensive end: No. 205 out of 270 players at his position

Drake Bulldogs

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  • Brett Welsing, long snapper: No. 17 out of 48 players at his position

Grand View Vikings

  • Jackson Waring, quarterback: No. 53 out of 99 players at his position
  • John Argo, linebacker: No. 56 out of 243 players at his position

Upper Iowa Peacocks

  • Mante Morrow, wide receiver: No. 142 out of 380 players at his position

Iowa natives playing elsewhere

These Iowa high school players finished playing college football outside the state but still earned spots in The Athletic’s “The Beast” draft guide.

  • Kadyn Proctor (Alabama, Southeast Polk), offensive tackle: No. 4 out of 146 players at his position
    • Grade: 1st-2nd round projection
  • Eli Raridon (Notre Dame, Valley), tight end: No. 9 out of 156 players at his position
    • Grade: 4th round projection
  • Mosai Newsom (South Dakota, Waverly-Shell Rock), defensive tackle: No. 93 out of 249 players at his position
  • Nate Ewell (South Dakota, Waterloo West), linebacker: No. 88 out of 243 players at his position,
  • Henry Lutovsky (Nebraska, Mount Pleasant), guard: No. 29 out of 159 players at his position

  • Jase Bauer (UT Martin, Ankeny), quarterback: No. 51 out of 99 players at his position
  • Harrison Waylee (Virginia, Urbandale), running back: No. 80 out of 213 players at his position
  • Noah Fenske (Southern Illinois, New Hampton), center: No. 26 out of 78 players at his position
  • TJ Bollers (California, Clear Creek Amana), defensive tackle: No. 60 out of 249 players at his position
  • Carter Hewitt (Illinois, South Hamilton), defensive tackle: No. 156 out of 249 players at his position

How to watch the 2026 NFL draft

Live coverage of the NFL draft can be found on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and the NFL Network. Coverage is also available on NFL+, ESPN Select, ESPN Unlimited and Fubo TV.

  • Thursday, April 23: Round 1 starts at 7 p.m. CT
  • Friday, April 24: Round 2 and Round 3 start at 6 p.m. CT
  • Saturday, April 25: Rounds 4-7 start at 11 a.m. CT

Watch the NFL Draft on ESPN+

Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.



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Iowa Lottery Mega Millions, Pick 3 Midday results for June 9, 2026

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The Iowa Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big with rewards ranging from $1,000 to millions. The most an Iowan has ever won from playing the lottery was $343 million in 2018 off the Powerball.

Don’t miss out on the winnings. Here’s a look at Tuesday, June 9, 2026, winning numbers for each game:

Winning Mega Millions numbers from June 9 drawing

09-30-36-38-40, Mega Ball: 03

Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick-3 numbers from June 9 drawing

Midday: 5-8-4

Evening: 4-5-6

Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick-4 numbers from June 9 drawing

Midday: 8-7-2-5

Evening: 2-3-8-0

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Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from June 9 drawing

23-25-33-35-50, Bonus: 05

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

When are the Iowa Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
  • Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
  • Pick 3 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
  • Pick 3 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
  • Pick 4 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
  • Pick 4 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Iowa editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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State approves road and bridge improvements in eastern Iowa

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State approves road and bridge improvements in eastern Iowa


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – The Iowa Transportation Commission approved a $4.2 billion transportation improvement plan Tuesday.

The five-year plan lists investments to Iowa’s airports, highways, trails and railroads. About $3.9 billion is expected to be put toward road and bridge improvements.

In eastern Iowa, there are 14 projects planned for Johnson County, 15 in Linn County, 14 in Black Hawk County and 15 in Dubuque County.

One of the planned projects in Johnson County is $56,000,000 in improvements on I-380 from north of North Liberty to the Swisher/Shueyville area. There is also $11,700,000 to repave I-380 from north of Cedar Rapids through Exit 30 in Linn County.

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Also in Linn County, $27,300,000 is allocated to a new bridge and repaving Highway 151 in Springville.

In Iowa County, there is more than $43,000,000 budgeted for replacing a bridge, traffic improvements and repaving along I-80 north of Williamsburg.

In Dubuque, $12,500,000 available to repave Highway 20 from Old Highway Road to Crescent Ridge.

The state also highlighted plans to add nearly 50 additional truck parking spots at interstate rest stops.

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.

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Iowa colleges say Forbes report misses full story

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Iowa colleges say Forbes report misses full story


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) — Forbes handed out grades to private colleges across the country, but some are saying the report card got it wrong.

“The C grade, quite frankly, is not reflective of our current strength,” said Todd Olson, Mount Mercy University president. “I approach the Forbes rating with interest, with respect, but not with a sense that it is the final correct answer on every school. I think that it’s one way of looking.”

Olson leads an institution in transition. Mount Mercy is merging with St. Ambrose University, a move Olson said has been in the works for three years.

Before the merger, Mount Mercy had a $43 million endowment, had operated at a deficit for two of the last 10 years and had cut staff and programming.

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Merger aims to strengthen financial position

“We were setting up a responsible, but frankly, fairly challenging road ahead that was constrained in a variety of ways,” Olson said. “We had made moves to make sure we were on a track that was sustainable, but frankly, this track we’re on now with St. Ambrose enables us to be much more innovative and forward-looking.”

Olson said the financial aspect of the merger with St. Ambrose is complete and is expected to become final with U.S. Department of Education approval this fall.

With a combined endowment exceeding $300 million, Olson said the merger makes Mount Mercy stronger than Forbes’ C grade indicates.

“This is a very viable and, in fact, very promising option for many private universities to consider, and the fact is the economics of operating a private university are much easier as you build scale,” Olson said.

Olson said two factors facing all private institutions are lower birth rates and more people questioning the value of a college degree.

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Top-rated school emphasizes affordability

Reflecting on its A+ grade, University of Dubuque President Travis Frampton credited alumni generosity, leadership’s vision and the university’s $430 million endowment.

Frampton also looked ahead to the future, saying private institutions need to continually prove their value to the community.

“For so long across the country, the public has been concerned about that with the high cost of higher education. I think presidents and administrations need to be mindful and listen to that public cry, and find ways of making costs more affordable,” Frampton said.

Frampton said the University of Dubuque could have put its proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine at its main campus, but instead, put the school on Main Street.

“By locating the medical school in downtown Dubuque, to me, that demonstrated how it would benefit the business community, generate growth, work on brain drain in Iowa,” Frampton said. “That helps diversify and get out of just sort of this tuition dependency and more in building a community through university.”

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Frampton said Forbes awarding the University of Dubuque top marks for its financial situation affirmed his belief that diversifying an institution’s assets makes it stronger, citing the proposed medical school and expansions to its aviation program, moves that took the university years to develop.

“Your financial picture is not done in one snapshot,” Frampton said. “Previous administration, the board leadership, alumni giving to the university have all contributed significantly to our current position.”

Both presidents said a university is worth more than a single grade. It’s about trust built over years, proving why its tuition is worth it.

Coe College received a D grade from Forbes. The magazine did not give F grades and said 27% of private colleges in the U.S. also received a D.

You can find your private institution’s grade on the business magazine’s website.

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Coe College told TV9 in a statement:

“We are aware of the Forbes article and recognize the challenges and headwinds that colleges and universities are facing nationwide and Coe is not immune to those challenges. The scope of the methodology behind the Forbes grading scale is narrow. Having the willingness and capability to realign approach is essential for colleges and universities as the rate of change across industries accelerates. At Coe, we have successfully embraced that evolution by putting workforce-aligned strategic initiatives into action.

As just one example, Coe is experiencing great momentum and student interest through the addition of an aviation studies and flight operations program which provides the training necessary to become a commercial pilot or pursue a professional aviation career. This program, among others, has brought interest in the college from new students and constituents.

We’re seeing similar momentum with the addition of an engineering physics program as well as other areas of study. We are at the beginning phase of offering our first online degree program with more to come in the future. Our athletic programs have expanded to include women’s wrestling which will compete for the first time during the 2026-2027 academic year.

In addition, the college has benefited from a number of large gifts from a nationwide donor base to support current operations and growth of our new programs.

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The college is continually evaluating and evolving as we see the opportunity to do so to match our educational experience to industry demands. With these additions and assessments, the college is positioned for stability in the present and growth in the future.”

Watch TV9’s interview with University of Dubuque President Travis Frampton:

Watch TV9’s interview with Mount Mercy University President Todd Olson:

Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.



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