Iowa

Where will Iowa State’s top prospects go in NFL Draft? Breaking down best-case scenarios

Published

8 months ago

April 23, 2025

Where will Iowa State’s top prospects go in NFL Draft? Breaking down best-case scenarios

The 2025 NFL Draft runs from April 24-26, and several Iowa State football prospects are hoping to hear their name called and achieve their dream of going pro.

Cyclones star wide receiver Jayden Higgins highlights the team’s class of five players who were invited to the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. They all have varying projections on if and when they’ll be selected, so here’s a look at the best-case scenario for each Iowa State prospect:

Jayden Higgins draft projection: Best-case scenario

According to NFL.com, Higgins is the most highly touted Cyclone in the 2025 class and is projected to be a “plus starter” at some point in his pro career.

His eighth-best athleticism score of all wideouts at the combine and a knack for consistently finding the end zone could shoot him up scouts’ draft boards. If so, Higgins’ best-case scenario could be vaulting into the first round.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles (No. 32) could be a good fit, where Higgins could immediately fill the No. 3 receiver role, adding a needed dimension to the offense while not being tasked with significant responsibility right away.

The Ravens (No. 27), similarly, could use a big-bodied No. 3 receiver.

Jaylin Noel draft projection: Best-case scenario

With the third-best combine performance, according to NFL.com, and a 2024 season that saw him rank ninth in the nation in receiving yards (1,194) despite playing alongside another star receiver, Noel’s draft stock has surely risen in recent months.

Noel’s skillset – small, shifty, quick – fits perfectly in the modern NFL, where slot receivers are a key part of most offenses. His return ability on special teams adds another layer of production, one that teams are likely to put a premium on with the league’s evolving kickoff rules.

His best-case scenario would likely be a high second-round selection by a team that would use him on both offense and special teams right away. The Titans (No. 35) certainly need a spark in their offense, as do the Patriots (No. 38), and maybe Noel is the answer.

Darien Porter draft projection: Best-case scenario

A 4.3 40-yard dash while being 6-foot-3 and having second-best athleticism score of all cornerbacks in this draft, according to NFL.com, will make almost every NFL team excited about Porter.

On top of that, Porter was remarkably healthy throughout his college career, setting an Iowa State record with 64 games played over six seasons, even if he started just one full year (2024).

Despite his lack of starting experience, such traits are hard to come by, and a team picking Porter in the second round would be a big development for the DB.

The Jaguars (No. 36) or Buccaneers (No. 53), two of the worst passing defenses in 2024, could see Porter as a much-needed defensive piece for the future.

Jalen Travis draft projection: Best-case scenario

At 6-foot-8, Travis certainly has the size to stick at the NFL level, and his three years of starting experience at left tackle also give him an edge to be a contributor right away.

He notched the fourth-highest athleticism score of all offensive tackles at the combine, and if teams values his combination of size, experience and measurables, Travis could vault past his fifth-round projection.

If Travis could land in the fourth round to a team that is looking for him to develop as a backup left tackle, that is likely the ideal outcome.

Malik Verdon draft projection: Best-case scenario

Verdon has good size (6-foot-4) and is coming off a Second Team All-Big 12 campaign. Teams love drafting based on potential, and Verdon has the physical tools and toughness to entice teams who need safety depth.

If Verdon gets selected in the fifth round or in the sixth to a team with veteran leadership to help him develop, that is likely his best outcome.

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Iowa

Iowa Supreme Court overturns doctor’s child sex abuse conviction

Published

6 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

Iowa Supreme Court overturns doctor’s child sex abuse conviction

The Iowa Supreme Court overturned the sexual abuse conviction of a West Des Moines doctor.
The court ruled that allowing the child victim to testify via one-way video violated the Iowa Constitution.
This decision is one of several that has set Iowa apart from other states on the issue of remote testimony.

The Iowa Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a West Des Moines doctor found guilty of sexually abusing a child, ruling that allowing the victim to testify via one-way video violated the Iowa Constitution.

The court on Tuesday, Dec. 23, reversed the conviction of Lynn Melvin Lindaman, a longtime central Iowa surgeon who practiced at the Lindaman Orthopaedics clinic in West Des Moines before he was charged in 2023 with second-degree sexual abuse. The case was remanded for a new trial.

The decision is the latest in a string of rulings that have set Iowa apart as the only state in the country whose highest court has barred one-way video testimony in criminal trials, even in cases involving child victims.

Those decisions already have begun reshaping prosecutions across the state and have prompted lawmakers to launch the process of amending the Iowa Constitution. The change would ultimately require voter approval.

Lindaman, now 75, was convicted after a jury trial in Polk County. Prosecutors alleged that on June 26, 2023, he committed a sex act in Ankeny against a child under the age of 10. A second count of sexual abuse was dismissed prior to trial. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison, with a mandatory minimum of 42½ years because of a prior sexual predatory offense in 1976. He also faced a separate and now-dismissed civil lawsuit from an Iowa woman who claimed he sexually assaulted her in 1975.

The Iowa Offender Search still lists Lindaman as in custody of the Iowa Medical & Classification Center.

On appeal, Lindaman argued that his constitutional rights were violated when the district court allowed the child to testify from another room via one-way closed-circuit television, rather than from the witness stand in the courtroom.

“Today’s decision from the Iowa Supreme Court is an important win for Lynn Lindaman and a major step toward a fair result,” said Lucas Taylor, the attorney representing Lindaman. “Although the court did not rule in our favor on every issue, this ruling recognizes serious errors in the prior proceedings and gives Mr. Lindaman the chance to present his defense to a new jury.”

In a 4-3 ruling issued earlier this year in State v. White, the Iowa Supreme Court agreed with that argument, holding that one-way video testimony violates the confrontation clause of the Iowa Constitution. Writing for the majority in that case, Justice David May said that “when the accused and the witness are prevented from seeing each other, there is no face-to-face confrontation, and the Iowa Constitution is not satisfied.”

The ruling came despite U.S. Supreme Court precedent allowing such testimony and laws in many other states permitting it. Under the Iowa statute the court overturned, judges had been allowed to authorize remote testimony by minors, or witnesses with mental illnesses or disabilities, if a judge found that “trauma caused by testifying in the physical presence of the defendant … would impair the minor’s ability to communicate.”

The White decision arose from an Osceola County case, but its effects have since spread and courts across Iowa have begun hearing challenges from defendants convicted in cases where one-way video testimony was used.

Following the ruling, Lynn Hicks, a spokesman for the Polk County Attorney’s Office, said at least five Polk County defendants convicted under similar circumstances could be entitled to new trials.

One of those defendants, Michael Dunbar, already has received a new trial. Dunbar was resentenced after the victim testified in person from the witness stand, and the court again imposed a life sentence.

Dissent fuels push to amend Iowa Constitution

The State v. White ruling has drawn sharp criticism from prosecutors and state leaders, including Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who has argued the decision unnecessarily traumatizes child victims.

Bird has proposed a constitutional amendment to allow children to testify remotely in certain cases. The measure has passed both chambers of the Legislature once and must pass again before going to voters in a statewide referendum.

“Children shouldn’t be forced to testify at arm’s length from their abusers, and many kids can’t. This opinion shows how important it is to restore protections for a child victim to testify remotely,” Bird said in a Tuesday statement to the Des Moines Register. “Our office will continue to fight for a constitutional amendment to ensure kids are protected and abusers are brought to justice. We are grateful our effort has received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Iowa Legislature.”

Justice Thomas D. Waterman, writing in a dissent in the opinion issued Tuesday, rejected the majority’s historical interpretation of the confrontation clause.

“Thunder comes during rainstorms; it does not follow that thunder requires rain. That video testimony was not used in 1871 tells us more about technology than it does about constitutional interpretation,” Waterman wrote.

He also said there is “no historical evidence that the framers of the Iowa Constitution intended a different meaning for confrontation rights than the Sixth Amendment,” and warned that the majority was reading requirements into Iowa’s Constitution that do not exist in its text.

Nick El Hajj is a reporter at the Register. He can be reached at nelhajj@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @nick_el_hajj.

This story was updated to add new information and to correct an inaccuracy.

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Iowa

States including Iowa, Nebraska reach $150M settlement with Mercedes-Benz

Published

18 hours ago

December 23, 2025

Press Room

States including Iowa, Nebraska reach 0M settlement with Mercedes-Benz

LINCOLN, Neb. (WOWT) – A coalition of states including both Iowa and Nebraska reached a nearly $150 million settlement with Mercedes-Benz.

The states allege over 200,000 diesel vehicles were illegally equipped with devices designed to cheat on emissions tests between 2008 and 2016.

Mercedes allegedly hid the existence of these devices from regulators and people purchasing the vehicles.

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Iowa

See where Iowa State basketball ranks in the AP and coaches polls

Published

1 day ago

December 22, 2025

Press Room

See where Iowa State basketball ranks in the AP and coaches polls

Iowa State basketball is now ranked in the top three.

The Cyclone men improved to 13-0 this week after obliterating Long Beach State on Dec. 21 at Hilton Coliseum.

With the holiday week, Iowa State is off before returning for a home game Monday, Dec. 29, against Houston Christian at 7 p.m.

Here is a look at where the Cyclones stand in the latest college basketball rankings:

Iowa State rankings update

Iowa State moved up one spot to No. 3 in both the AP and Coaches Polls. The Cyclones were previously at No. 4.

USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball coaches poll

Here is a look at the new USA TODAY Sports men’s basketball coaches poll.

Michigan
Arizona
Iowa State
UConn
Purdue
Duke
Gonzaga
Houston
Michigan State
BYU
Vanderbilt
North Carolina
Nebraska
Louisville
Alabama
Texas Tech
Kansas
Arkansas
Illinois
Tennessee
Virginia
Florida
Iowa
Georgia
USC

Others receiving votes

St. John’s 32; Kentucky 32; Seton Hall 20; Utah State 15; Auburn 10; California 9; UCLA 8; Saint Louis 8; LSU 6; Yale 4; Oklahoma State 3; Saint Mary’s 1; Indiana 1; Clemson 1;

AP Poll

Here is a look at the new Associated Press poll.

Arizona
Michigan
Iowa State
UConn
Purdue
Duke
Gonzaga
Houston
Michigan State
BYU
Vanderbilt
North Carolina
Nebraska
Alabama
Texas Tech
Louisville
Kansas
Arkansas
Tennessee
Illinois
Virginia
Florida
Georgia
USC
Iowa

Others receiving votes

Kentucky 78, Seton Hall 49, Auburn 39, St. John’s 23, California 19, LSU 17, UCLA 13, Clemson 9, Miami (Ohio) 6, Utah St. 5, Arizona St 5, Indiana 4, Miami 4, Saint Louis 3, Belmont 2, Baylor 1, Oklahoma St. 1, UCF 1, NC State 1.

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