2022-04-28 07:00:00
NFL Draft outlook for Iowa, Iowa State and UNI
Trevor Penning, Tyler Linderbaum and Breece Hall will represent their respective Iowa football programs in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Adam Hensley, Wochit
You don’t end up in the first round of the NFL Draft by accident, even if the casual fan may question why you’re there. Chances are when the New Orleans Saints selected former Northern Iowa standout Trevor Penning with the No. 19 overall pick Thursday, many wondered how an FCS offensive tackle came off the board this early.
But while Penning’s rise is certainly improbable and incredible given the circuitous journey he took, this Panther product has earned every bit of Thursday’s monumental evening.
A look at what the Saints are getting.
The positives
Nastiness and offensive linemen are a match made in football heaven, and Penning certainly has plenty of the former. After showcasing that over multiple productive collegiate seasons, it wasn’t surprising to see that trait surface to the top when evaluators dug into Penning’s profile. He doesn’t just block opponents; he wants to bully them.
With some offensive linemen, coaches talk about having to pull the mean streak out of them. No worries about that here. Penning’s quick movement despite a robust frame — he tied for the second fastest 40 time among offensive linemen at the NFL Combine — along with the right mindset to survive up-front gives the former UNI standout a strong chance to succeed.
The concerns
Many with see the FCS designation with Penning’s name and wonder if the talent will translate. And there is some validity to that.
Although Penning squashed some of that chatter with a solid showing at the Senior
Bowl against some of the best FBS competition out there, that was just a small snapshot of Penning’s football profile. And much more of it to this point has been overpowering FCS defensive ends who couldn’t hold a candle to what Penning will see on a regular basis in the NFL.
Basing an entire argument for Penning being overvalued on his lack of high-end competition is a bit overboard.
Ali Marpet, Terron Armstead and Spencer Brown (a fellow UNI standout who had a standout rookie season in Buffalo) were also small-school products with high-end athletic traits and the requisite temperament who had NFL success recently. So it’s not uncommon.
But disregarding entirely isn’t wise either. There will certainly be an adjustment.
More: Inside Trevor Penning’s rise from small-town Iowa to likely first-round NFL Draft pick
Southard’s final thoughts
For most of the players who were selected in the opening round, Thursday was a culmination of years spent in the football spotlight. While some handle that attention just fine, others absorb it too much and let that admiration take over their lives — putting it ahead of football priorities. That can be a direct route to “first-round bust” status.
Not here. Not with Penning.
This is a player who’s had to fight and claw for everything, and although that may seem cliché, Penning’s grind to a first-round selection has been anything but smooth. Whether it be in high school when a football future was quite murky or at UNI when success didn’t arrive immediately, Penning has had to grind harder than most to reach this opportunity.
It doesn’t mean his NFL career is going to be a smashing hit from the opening snap. But the Saints won’t have to worry about where Penning’s priorities are at or if he can handle adversity when it arises. The mental toughness Penning has established over the years, along with his physical traits, should give him a strong chance to be successful.
More: NFL draft tracker 2022: LIVE updates, analysis on every pick in the first round
Dargan Southard covers Iowa and UNI athletics, recruiting and preps for the Des Moines Register, HawkCentral.com and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
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