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ABOUT A YEAR AGO. I tried my best guess at predicting where and what round Iowa's draft prospects would be selected in the 2013 NFL Draft. (We'll try this again next week for 2014.) C.J. Fiedorowicz elected to stay at Iowa for his senior season. Micah Hyde and Keenan Davis could be the only two that hear their names called this weekend. Iowa didn't have a lot of talent on the field last season and it will show this NFL Draft.
MICAH HYDE. Micah played both corner and a short stint at safety at Iowa. He may be better suited for the latter, physically. He turned in a 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. Not really fast for a corner but not terribly slow either. He's Iowa's best option at getting drafted but not until the weekend. He's projected to get picked in the 5th through 7th rounds.
KEENAN DAVIS. At 6'3" 215 pounds Davis has the size that excites NFL scouts. It seems to end about there. Davis had a terrible senior campaign after Iowa switched offensive coordinators and things didn't gel with wide receiver coach Erik Campbell. He turned in a solid week at the Shrine Bowl and put up good numbers at Iowa's Pro Day. He could get drafted in the Draft's final two rounds. Marvin McNutt went to the Eagles in the sixth round of last year's Draft. Davis is probably a gamble and don't be surprised if he goes undrafted and signs a free agent contract.
JAMES FERENTZ. He won't hear his name called but will likely sign a free agent contract following the draft. One NFL Draft junkie did pick Ferentz as the Draft's final pick also known as "Mr. Irrelevant." Ferentz is too small for an NFL center at 6'2" and 285 pounds. Still, like his brother Brian, he'll get a shot to make a squad and spend a year as a practice team player.
MATT TOBIN. He's another walk-on to starter story at Iowa. Tobin is a legit 6'5" 300 pounds. He played in the Raycom all-star game following the season and looked to be one of the better guards on the field. He's ranked as the 34th best guard prospect at NFLDraftScout.com and could be a late round pick. It's likely, though, that Tobin goes undrafted and signs a free agent contract following the Draft.
JAMES VANDENBERG. We won't discuss his senior season. James was invited to the NFL Combine and turned in surprising numbers. He has the size to be an NFL quarterback and perhaps the intelligence. He had a great day at his Pro Day at Iowa completing almost every pass he threw (remember, there wasn't a defense). He won't get drafted but will likely sign a free agent contract.
WHO'S LEFT? Greg Castillo has NFL dreams. He's worked out for the Eagles, the team that fired his father, Juan, last season. Don't be surprised if he signs a free agent contract the days immediately following the draft.
Zach Derby was a walk-on tightend at Iowa that was eventually phased out of the offense his senior season. If Brad Herman gets a chance with the Patriots maybe Derby will get a free agent contract too.
Tom Donatell is the son of a coach. Maybe someone does his dad a favor (as a free agent, of course)? That's three draft prospects with coaching pedigrees. If any of the three want to coach in their future, a year on an NFL practice squad is a lifetime of experience.
OTHER LINKS:
- Inside the numbers: Big Ten and NFL draft
- Old-school Hyde looking for a chance to keep playing the game
- NFL Draft: Development vs. Recruitment
- No-Huddle Series: Iowa WR Keenan Davis
- James Vandenberg gets standing ovation, talks NFL chances
- Hawkeye NFL Draft Pool Runs Dry
- Experts predict quiet draft for Big Ten