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NFL

From Brock Purdy to Joe Burrow: Iowa’s connections across the NFL

By Doug Sawyer,

10 days ago

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DES MOINES, Iowa — When the NFL season kicks off this week on NBC, Iowa will be represented by far more than just former Hawkeyes and Cyclones.

WHO 13's preseason roster audit found more than 80 players with Iowa connections who made it to NFL training camps this summer, with dozens landing on active rosters, practice squads or reserve lists entering the 2026 season.

The list includes players from the University of Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa and Drake. But we expanded the search beyond the state's four Division I football programs to include players who grew up or played high school football in Iowa before leaving the state for college.

That brings some of the NFL's biggest names into the Iowa connection.

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was born in Ames. Minnesota Vikings linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel grew up in Rock Valley and played for Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley. Kansas City linebacker Jack Cochrane is a Mount Vernon native.

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Foxborough, MA - August 25: New England Patriots tight end Eli Raridon speaks to reporters after practice at Gillette Stadium on August 25, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

New England rookie tight end Eli Raridon is from Des Moines and played at Valley High School before Notre Dame. The Patriots selected him in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and he made New England's active roster.

Tampa Bay has an unusual Iowa connection of its own: Christian Rozeboom and Ko Kieft both came out of Sioux Center High School. Rozeboom played at South Dakota State and Kieft at Minnesota before reaching the NFL. Tampa Bay signed Rozeboom in March and re-signed Kieft during the offseason.

Add those players to the large contingents from Iowa and Iowa State, and Iowa's NFL footprint stretches across much of the league.

Stars at the top

Former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy again leads the San Francisco 49ers, while Burrow gives Iowa another connection to one of the NFL's premier quarterbacks.

Some of the most recognizable former Hawkeyes are also established NFL stars.

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 5: Cooper DeJean #33 of the Philadelphia Eagles looks on against the Denver Broncos at Lincoln Financial Field on October 5, 2025 in Philadelphia, United States. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

George Kittle remains one of the league's premier tight ends in San Francisco. Jack Campbell leads the Detroit defense, where former Hawkeye Sam LaPorta is also a key piece of the Lions' offense. Cooper DeJean is established in Philadelphia's secondary, Riley Moss remains in Denver and Tristan Wirfs anchors Tampa Bay's offensive line.

Iowa's offensive-line tradition is particularly visible across the league.

Tyler Linderbaum has a new home after leaving Baltimore and signing with Las Vegas. The Solon native started all 66 games he played during four seasons with the Ravens and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl selections before joining the Raiders.

Wirfs remains in Tampa Bay, while Alaric Jackson is with the Los Angeles Rams.

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - AUGUST 14: Breece Hall #20 of the New York Jets looks on prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium on August 14, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Evan Bernstein/Getty Images)

Iowa State's NFL group is headlined by Purdy, Breece Hall, David Montgomery and Will McDonald IV.

Montgomery is one of the biggest Iowa-related movers of the offseason. Houston acquired the former Cyclone from Detroit in a March trade.

New teams for familiar names

Several prominent Iowa-connected veterans will wear different uniforms in 2026.

Former Hawkeye defensive end A.J. Epenesa is now with Philadelphia after six seasons in Buffalo. The Eagles signed Epenesa in June, adding his 24 career sacks to their defense.

Former Hawkeye running back Kaleb Johnson also changed teams just before the final roster deadline. Pittsburgh traded Johnson to Green Bay for a 2028 sixth-round draft pick. Johnson, a third-round pick in 2025, is now part of the Packers' backfield.

Chauncey Golston is with the New York Giants after previously playing in Dallas, while former Northern Iowa defensive back Elijah Campbell is also on the Giants roster.

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HOUSTON, TX - AUGUST 13: Linebacker Jake Hummel of the Houston Texans on the field during the NFL preseason game between Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers on August 13, 2026, at Reliant Stadium in Houston, TX. (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Houston has assembled a particularly interesting collection of Iowa State connections. In addition to Montgomery, the Texans have former Cyclones Jake Hummel and Xavier Hutchinson on the roster. Hummel adds another local connection: he is a Des Moines native and Dowling Catholic graduate.

A large rookie class

The 2026 NFL Draft was historic for Iowa.

Seven Hawkeyes were selected, the most Iowa has produced in the seven-round era: Logan Jones, Gennings Dunker, Kaden Wetjen, Beau Stephens, Karson Sharar, TJ Hall and Max Llewellyn.

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PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 21: Kaden Wetjen #10 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs the ball during the third quarter of a preseason game against New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium on August 21, 2026 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Lauren Leigh Bacho/Getty Images)

Wetjen is one of the most intriguing players to watch.

Pittsburgh selected the former Hawkeye return specialist in the fourth round. Wetjen made the Steelers' active roster after showing his return ability throughout the preseason.

Gennings Dunker also made Pittsburgh's roster, while Logan Jones is with Chicago, Beau Stephens with Seattle and Karson Sharar with Arizona.

Seattle's current roster lists Stephens as active, while former Hawkeye Mason Richman is on reserve. Former Drake tight end Eric Saubert is also active with the Seahawks.

Raridon represents the other side of WHO 13's expanded search. The former Valley standout never played college football in Iowa, but he is unquestionably an Iowa NFL connection. NFL records list the rookie tight end as active with New England and his hometown as Des Moines.

Practice squads keep Iowa connections alive

Missing the 53-man roster did not necessarily mean the end of the road.

Several former Iowa players returned to their organizations on practice squads after clearing waivers, while others found opportunities with new teams.

Former Hawkeye running back Tyler Goodson remained with Atlanta on its practice squad. Sebastian Castro and Brandon Smith stayed with Pittsburgh, while Geno Stone returned to Buffalo's organization.

Max Llewellyn experienced one of the more unusual roster weekends. Miami initially kept the former Hawkeye on its 53-man roster before waiving him following the team's waiver claims. He subsequently returned to the organization on the practice squad.

Former Hawkeye Kaevon Merriweather landed with Jacksonville's practice squad, while former Iowa and Purdue return specialist Charlie Jones joined the New York Giants.

Practice squads are fluid, and those players can be elevated for games, signed to active rosters or picked up by another NFL team as the season progresses.

Injuries already having an impact

Not every Iowa-connected player will be available when the season begins.

Former Iowa State receiver Jayden Higgins suffered a torn ACL during the preseason, taking him out of Houston's plans for the season.

Former Hawkeye Mason Richman is on Seattle's reserve list. Other Iowa-connected players have also landed on reserve or injured lists as teams finalized their opening-week rosters.

Those designations are an important reason the number of Iowa-connected players is larger than simply counting names on the 32 active 53-man rosters.

Iowa connections extend beyond the Hawkeyes and Cyclones

Northern Iowa continues to have an NFL presence.

Buffalo offensive tackle Spencer Brown, New Orleans offensive lineman Trevor Penning and defensive tackle Khristian Boyd are among the Panthers in the league. Elijah Campbell is with the Giants.

Drake is represented by veteran tight end Eric Saubert in Seattle.

Then there are the players whose Iowa roots are found in their hometowns and high schools.

Burrow was born in Ames before his family eventually moved to Ohio.

Van Ginkel came out of Rock Valley. Cochrane came out of Mount Vernon. Raridon played at Valley. Rozeboom and Kieft both played at Sioux Center.

That group is one reason WHO 13's list is considerably larger than a traditional "Hawkeyes in the NFL" or "Cyclones in the NFL" tracker.

Iowa-connected players entering the 2026 NFL season

Roster designations can change throughout the season. The table includes players on active rosters, practice squads and reserve lists, along with Iowa-connected players who were released during the final roster process and remain available to sign elsewhere.

PlayerNFL teamIowa connectionStatus
Erick All Jr.CincinnatiIowaActive roster
Dylan BarrettFree agentIowa StateReleased by Green Bay
Dane BeltonN.Y. JetsIowaActive roster
Yahya BlackPittsburghIowaActive roster
Jim BonifasFree agentIowa State / DubuqueReleased by Miami
Khristian BoydNew OrleansNorthern IowaActive roster
Spencer BrownBuffaloNorthern Iowa / LenoxActive roster
Joe BurrowCincinnatiAmes nativeActive; starting QB
Jack CampbellDetroitIowa / Cedar FallsActive; starting LB
Elijah CampbellN.Y. GiantsNorthern IowaActive; DB/special teams
Sebastian CastroPittsburghIowaPractice squad
Jack CochraneKansas CityMount VernonActive; LB/special teams
Connor ColbySan FranciscoIowaActive roster
Cooper DeJeanPhiladelphiaIowa / OdeboltActive; DB
James DanielsFree agentIowaVeteran free agent
Gennings DunkerPittsburghIowaActive roster; rookie OL
A.J. EpenesaPhiladelphiaIowaActive; EDGE/OLB
Noah FantNew OrleansIowaActive roster
Chauncey GolstonN.Y. GiantsIowaActive; defensive line/EDGE
Tyler GoodsonAtlantaIowaPractice squad
Aaron GravesFree agentIowaReleased by Baltimore
Mark GronowskiFree agentIowaReleased during final roster process
TJ Hall Jr.New OrleansIowaPractice squad
Breece HallN.Y. JetsIowa StateActive; RB
Matt HaackFree agentDowling Catholic / West Des MoinesVeteran punter
Jack HeflinN.Y. JetsIowaPractice squad
Jayden HigginsHoustonIowa StateReserve/injured; torn ACL
Jay HigginsBaltimoreIowaActive roster
T.J. HockensonMinnesotaIowaActive; TE
Amani HookerTennesseeIowaActive; safety
Jake HummelHoustonIowa State / Dowling Catholic / Des MoinesActive; LB
Ethan HurkettFree agentIowaReleased by Kansas City
Xavier HutchinsonHoustonIowa StateActive; WR
Anthony Johnson Jr.Free agentIowa StateReleased during roster cuts
Kaleb JohnsonGreen BayIowaActive; acquired from Pittsburgh
Logan JonesChicagoIowa / Council BluffsActive; rookie C
Charlie JonesN.Y. GiantsIowa / PurduePractice squad; WR/returner
Alaric JacksonL.A. RamsIowaActive; OT
Ko KieftTampa BaySioux Center / MinnesotaActive; TE/special teams
George KittleSan FranciscoIowaActive; TE
Charlie KolarL.A. ChargersIowa StateActive; TE
Casey KreiterArizonaIowaActive; long snapper
Luke LacheyGreen BayIowaReserve/injured
Sam LaPortaDetroitIowaActive; TE
Hayden LargeChicagoIowa / DordtReserve/injured
Max LlewellynMiamiIowa / UrbandalePractice squad
Tyler LinderbaumLas VegasIowa / SolonActive; starting C
Logan LeePittsburghIowaReserve/injured
Kaevon MerriweatherJacksonvilleIowaPractice squad
Will McDonald IVN.Y. JetsIowa StateActive; EDGE
Tyler MillerDenverIowa StatePractice squad
David MontgomeryHoustonIowa StateActive; RB
Riley MossDenverIowaActive; CB
James Neal IIIHoustonIowa StatePractice squad
Anthony NelsonTampa BayIowaActive; EDGE
Nick NiemannGreen BayIowaActive; LB/special teams
Jaylin NoelHoustonIowa StateActive; WR/returner
Kene NwangwuN.Y. JetsIowa StateActive; RB/returner
Xavier NwankpaKansas CityIowaActive; rookie S
Domonique OrangeMinnesotaIowa StateActive; rookie DT
Trevor PenningNew OrleansNorthern IowaActive; OL
Darien PorterLas VegasIowa StateActive; CB
Brock PurdySan FranciscoIowa StateActive; starting QB
Eli RaridonNew EnglandValley HS / Des Moines / Notre DameActive; rookie TE
Mason RichmanSeattleIowaReserve/injured
Christian RozeboomTampa BaySioux Center / South Dakota StateActive; LB
Eric SaubertSeattleDrakeActive; TE/special teams
Karson ShararArizonaIowaActive; rookie LB
Brandon SmithPittsburghIowaPractice squad
Ihmir Smith-MarsetteArizonaIowaPractice squad; WR/returner
J.R. SingletonFree agentIowa StateReleased by Seattle
Drew StevensWashingtonIowaActive; K
Beau StephensSeattleIowaActive; rookie OL
Geno StoneBuffaloIowaPractice squad
TJ TampaBaltimoreIowa StateActive; CB
Tory TaylorChicagoIowaActive; P
Jalen TravisIndianapolisIowa StateActive; OT
Eyioma UwazurikeDenverIowa StateActive; DT
Andrew Van GinkelMinnesotaRock Valley / WisconsinActive; LB/EDGE
Lukas Van NessGreen BayIowaActive; EDGE
Malik VerdonAtlantaIowa StateReserve/injured
Kristian WelchGreen BayIowaPractice squad
Kaden WetjenPittsburghIowa / WilliamsburgActive; WR/return specialist
Tristan WirfsTampa BayIowa / Mount VernonActive; OT

The list is a snapshot entering Week 1. NFL rosters will continue to change through injuries, trades, waiver claims, practice-squad promotions and free-agent signings.

WHO 13 will update the list as Iowa-connected players change teams or roster status during the 2026 season.

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