A new spring season of Hawkeyes football is upon us, folks! If you know anything about Iowa ball, they have an established pipeline to the NFL. You’ll rarely find a draft without Hawkeye representation and this year is no different.
Iowa has five candidates for the upcoming 2023 NFL draft in defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness, linebacker Jack Campbell, tight end Sam LaPorta, cornerback Riley Moss, and safety Kaevon Merriweather. Van Ness, Campbell, and LaPorta have been the talk of the NFL Draft community after their stellar NFL Combine performances.
Van Ness in particular featured highly in recent mock drafts. Moss and Merriweather also have a number of fans in the football world as well.
Despite being known as a program greater than the sum of its parts, every year Iowa football manages to produce stars who go on to the NFL. That team-first mentality really aids in preparing players for the next level. Five key stars are moving on, but who will be the next breakout stars in Iowa City?
With the depth charts released for the spring season, we now have a better idea of how these players are viewed by the coaching staff. With that in mind and combined with what we already saw last year, here are five breakout candidates to keep an eye on throughout spring ball.
Kaleb Johnson, Running Back
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Running back Kaleb Johnson had a fantastic freshman campaign with 779 yards and six touchdowns, and he figures to be the focal point of the Hawkeyes’ offense in 2023. You can be certain that Brian Ferentz is looking to get the Iowa rushing attack back on track, and the Hamilton, Ohio, native is a great piece to bank on.
When given the reigns last year, he looked like a star. He’s always a threat to hit pay dirt whenever he’s on the field.
This kid Kaleb Johnson is special 🔥
— Oliver Hodgkinson (@ojhodgkinson) November 25, 2022
Luke Lachey, Tight…
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