Occam’s razor is the adage that the simplest answer is usually the correct one. That is exceptionally correct when it comes to drafting linemen from the Iowa Hawkeyes in the NFL draft. Don’t get cute; don’t overthink it; trust what history and data have told us.
Iowa has become a factory for linemen to grow, develop, and get stronger in Iowa City before shipping off to the NFL, where they are dotting starting lineups across the league. Beau Stephens, who is entering his rookie year in the NFL, could be the latest example.
Stephens, the fifth-round pick by the Seattle Seahawks, is among those NFL rookies who are already being viewed as instant impact players who could step in and start with success from the very first day.
Beau Stephens, Guard, Seattle Seahawks (No. 148)
Defending Super Bowl champions don’t have many weaknesses, but interior offensive line was a position group the Seahawks wanted to address. I had a fourth-round grade on Stephens, who went early in Round 5, and he should be a hand-in-glove fit for Seattle’s heavy-zone-run scheme.
Like many Iowa offensive linemen, Stephens is fundamentally sound. He strikes with a good base supporting him, deftly uses leverage and moves his feet extremely well. I think Stephens can push for starting right guard Anthony Bradford’s spot. – Field Yates, ESPN
Beau Stephens is reuniting with another Iowa offensive lineman, and Super Bowl champion as of this year, Mason Richman.
Stephens is joining Seattle with the pedigree of success to make an impact at the NFL level. At Iowa, he earned First-Team All-American and First-Team Big Ten honors in 2025 as part of Iowa’s Joe Moore Award-winning offensive line.
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire : ESPN tabs Iowa football OL as instant impact pick with Seahawks
Reporting by Riley Donald, Hawkeyes Wire / Hawkeyes Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
