The 2021 Iowa Pro Day featured several NFL Draft prospects working to impress scouts, coaches, and general managers. In recent years, Iowa has developed a reputation for tough, physical football and has become an exciting stop on the pro day circuit. Offensive linemen Brandon Scherff and Tristan Wirfs were both first-round selections, while tight ends George Kittle, T.J. Hockenson, and Noah Fant are among the best in the league at the position.
The Iowa Hawkeyes finished the 2020 season with a 6-2 record. Kirk Ferentz’s team lost their first two games of the season. They then went on a run, ending the year 15th in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Top Iowa prospects working out at 2021 pro day
Scouts traveled to the University of Iowa, where 17 draft-eligible Hawkeyes and former players from the program worked out. Here’s what we have so far.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who missed the Senior Bowl with an ankle injury, measured in at 6-feet-0.5-inch and 181 pounds. He had a laser time, as fast as 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash, with a 10 yard split of 1.47 seconds. His other marks included 37 inches in the vertical jump, 10-feet-4-inches in the board, and a short shuttle of 4.20 seconds. His three-cone was clocked at 7 seconds flat.
I’ve known for the longest time that the Green Bay Packers have Smith-Marsette graded highly, as do the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team. Scouts have the senior wideout graded as a solid day-two prospect since the start of the season.
Ihmir Smith-Marsette currently ranks 89th on my 2021 NFL Draft big board.
Brandon Smith
The team’s other WR, Brandon Smith, touched 39.5 inches in the vertical and 10-feet-10-inches in the broad jump but was disappointingly slow in the 40, laser timing anywhere from 4.62 to 4.69 seconds. Smith measured 6-feet-1.5-inches and 218 pounds. Smith is currently ranked 131 on my big board.
Other Iowa prospects at their 2021 pro day
Nick Niemann
Nick Niemann is, in my opinion, one of the more underrated linebackers in this draft. He turned in a terrific workout. Measuring at 6-feet-3-inches and 234 pounds, Niemann blazed to a 40 time of 4.45 seconds. That’s more than .3 seconds faster than scouts expected. Furthermore, his other marks were fantastic and included a three-cone of 6.67 seconds and a short shuttle of 4.14 seconds.
Chauncey Golston
Senior Bowl participant Chauncey Golston timed as fast as 4.79 seconds in the forty, touched 36 inches in the vertical, and 9-feet-11-inches in the broad jump. Golston tipped the scales at 269 pounds, one more than his weight in Mobile.
Daviyon Nixon
Defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon measured in at 6-foot-3-inches and 313 pounds. He ran the 40 as fast as 4.90 seconds, with a 10 yard split of 1.66 seconds. Nixon’s three-cone was a swift 7.68 seconds. He did not participate in the bench press.
Nixon currently ranks 58th on my big board.
Coy Cronk
Offensive lineman Coy Cronk, the Indiana grad-transfer who played for the Hawkeyes this season, did not work out.
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