Iowa State football well represented throughout NFL Draft weekend

Iowa State football made quite the splash during NFL Draft weekend, as four players were selected and five more signed deals with teams following the completion of the draft.

Jayden Higgins was the highest selected player, as the standout wide receiver went to the Houston Texans at pick No. 34 of the second round. Early in the third, Darien Porter was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Jaylin Noel, became a teammate once again with Higgins, joining him as a wide receiver for the Texans in the third. Jalen Travis was tabbed by the Indianapolis Colts in the fourth round.

Signing deals on Saturday were Jarrod Hufford, Stevo Klotz, Myles Purchase, J.R. Singleton and Malik Verdon. Hufford signed with the Raiders, Klotz and Purchase with the Los Angeles Charges, Singleton with the Seattle Seahawks and Verdon with the Atlanta Falcons.

While it might not seem like much to some college teams to have nine players headed to the NFL, for the Cyclones, this is a big deal and really shows just how far the program has come under head coach Matt Campbell.

This is the second time since Campbell took over that Iowa State has had four players selected in the NFL Draft. Prior to it happening in 2022, it had not been done since 1977, when there were 12 rounds to the draft compared to seven.

The four picks in the first four rounds were the most in program history and the three picks in th first three rounds were the most of any non-Big Ten or non-SEC school this year. 

Iowa State tied with Arizona, Colorado and Oklahoma State for the most picks from a Big 12 team.