The 2025 NFL Draft wrapped up on Saturday; all told five former Iowa players heard their names called over the course of seven rounds and 257 picks.
Kaleb Johnson Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft
Yahya Black Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2025 NFL Draft
Mason Richman Drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2025 NFL Draft
Connor Colby Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2025 NFL Draft
Luke Lachey Drafted by the Houston Texans in the 2025 NFL Draft
Four other Hawkeyes signed free agent contracts with teams after the draft concluded.
Jay Higgins
The heart and soul of Iowa's defense for the last two seasons, Jay Higgins was a tackling machine and team leader for the Hawkeye defense. Now he's taking his talents to the next level.
Middle linebacker Jack Campbell get drafted 18th overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL Draft -- and the Hawkeye defense did not miss a beat with Jay Higgins stepping into Campbell's shoes. Over the last two years, Higgins racked up 295 tackles, including a staggering 171 stops in 2023. Higgins had nine tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, nine passes broken up, five interceptions, and three forced fumbles over the past two seasons.
Higgins earned first-team All-America honors in 2023 and was named Big Ten Linebacker of the Year and a unanimous All-American in 2024 after those tremendously productive campaigns.
Sebastian Castro
Aside from TE and OL, the position that Iowa sends to the NFL more than any other is defensive back. The latest secondary star ready to trade Iowa City for the NFL is Sebastian Castro.
Castro was the next man in at the strong safety and "cash" (a hybrid linebacker/slot cornerback position in Iowa's 4-2-5 defensive scheme) positions, following in the footsteps of several recent NFL Draft picks, including Geno Stone, Dane Belton, and Amani Hooker. A reliable presence in Iowa's secondary, Castro started in 32 of 53 games at Iowa, including starts in 25 games over the past two seasons.
2023 was Castro's best season at Iowa, as he finished with 67 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 8 pass breakups, three interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble. He earned All-Big Ten second and All-America third team recognition for those accomplishments. For his career, Castro racked up 163 tackles (14 tackles for loss), 14 pass breakups, four interceptions, two sacks, and five forced fumbles.
Luke Elkin
Long snapper is an under-the-radar position, but it's a vital part of most successful kicking plays on special teams.
Luke Elkin formed a reliable kicking battery with Tory Taylor (and Rhys Dakin last year) and Drew Stevens in recent years. For the last four seasons, Iowa had Elkin at long snapper, handling all of the deep-snapping responsibilities for every punt, field goal attempt, and extra point try.
Elkin will look to follow in the path of another former long snapper at Iowa, Casey Kreiter. Kreiter has carved out a decade-long NFL career, playing for the Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants since his college career in Iowa City wrapped up.
Jermari Harris
A multi-year starter at cornerback, Jermari Harris is the latest member of DB U to head from Iowa to the NFL.
Harris was a three-year starter at Iowa, appearing in 42 games over five seasons and starting in 28 of of those games, including 22 over the past two seasons. Harris totaled 105 tackles during his Iowa career, including 3.5 tackles for loss. He was effective in pass coverage as well, with 19 pass breakups and eight career interceptions, including four in 2022 and three in 2024.
At times, Harris' career at Iowa was stop-start, as he missed two games due to a gambling-related suspension and missed all of the 2022 season due to an arm injury. Harris returned from that injury to play at a high level in 2023 and 2024, emerging as Iowa's top cover corner last fall.
Other Players
Nick Jackson received a rookie mini-camp invitation from the Baltimore Ravens.
Quinn Schulte received a rookie mini-camp invitation from the Las Vegas Raiders.
