Iowa State Professional Athletes

It was a week of extremes for Iowa State alumni across the NFL — one Cyclone got devastating news, another got a clean bill of health, and a third got his walking papers.

Jayden Higgins: Season Over Before It Started

The biggest gut punch came out of Houston. Second-year Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins suffered a season-ending torn ACL, a crushing blow for a player widely expected to break out in 2026. The Texans moved quickly to patch the hole, trading for Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte and also adding veterans Zay Jones and Sterling Shepard — a flurry of moves that underscores just how significant Higgins' absence is to Houston's passing game. For Higgins, it's a lost year at the worst possible time for his development.

Breece Hall: Don't Panic, Jets Fans

Meanwhile, in New York, a potential scare turned out to be nothing serious. Jets running back Breece Hall missed roughly a week of preseason practice with a groin injury, but head coach Aaron Glenn personally calmed the waters Monday, confirming Hall is on track to be ready for Week 1. Glenn offered similarly positive updates on other Jets players dealing with bumps, suggesting the organization is managing Hall's workload with the regular season firmly in view. For a Jets offense that runs through its former Iowa State star, that's exactly what the fanbase needed to hear.

Hakeem Butler: Cut Loose in Denver

Butler's preseason run with the Broncos came to an abrupt end. Denver waived the wide receiver as part of a roster move to sign outside linebacker Ron Stone Jr., ending Butler's bid to stick with the club. Butler had played 23 offensive snaps and nine special teams snaps in a Week 2 preseason loss to Green Bay — not enough to make the case for a roster spot. He'll now look to catch on elsewhere as teams finalize their 53-man rosters.

Around the Rest of the Cyclone Alumni Network

Beyond the three headliners, other ISU alumni had quieter but notable preseason moments. Raiders cornerback Darien Porter is drawing attention in Las Vegas, where the coaching staff is reportedly experimenting with ways to get him and fellow young corner Hezekiah Masses on the field simultaneously at nickel — a sign the organization sees real potential in the former Cyclone. In Washington, offensive tackle Julian Good-Jones surfaced in the Commanders' preseason Week 2 notes, with the team logging observations on his play as roster decisions loom. Brock Purdy, meanwhile, continues to be the subject of national QB tier debates — labeled "supporting cast dependent" in one recent ranking — as the 49ers head toward the regular season.

It was, in short, the kind of week that reminds Cyclone fans how quickly NFL fortunes can shift. Higgins goes from breakout candidate to IR; Hall goes from injury concern to full green light. That's the preseason in a nutshell — and Iowa State had front-row seats to all of it.

Iowa State's NFL pipeline had a brutal week, with two of the program's most prominent alumni sidelined by significant injuries — one facing a race against the clock, the other facing an entire lost season.

Jayden Higgins' Season Is Over Before It Started

The crueler blow landed in Houston. Wide receiver Jayden Higgins, entering just his second NFL season with the Texans, tore his ACL during a joint practice with the Las Vegas Raiders and was ruled out for the entirety of 2026. The injury, first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, ends what was shaping up to be a pivotal year for the former Cyclone pass-catcher.

The Texans wasted no time responding. Houston signed veteran receivers Sterling Shepard and Zay Jones to shore up the depth chart, and the team has also made exploratory trade calls linked to Patriots receiver Kayshon Boutte and Ravens receiver Rashod Bateman, per reports. The urgency of the front office's reaction is its own testament to how much Higgins was counted on as a young weapon for C.J. Stroud.

For an Iowa State program that has produced legitimate NFL receiving talent, watching Higgins lose a full developmental season before it even begins is a painful reminder of how fragile the league can be.

Breece Hall: Grounded, But Not Out

The news out of New York was more optimistic, though not without its tension. Jets running back Breece Hall strained his groin during practice and was handed a two-to-three week recovery timeline — a window that puts Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans squarely in play, but leaves no margin for setback.

Head coach Aaron Glenn struck a notably calm tone after the injury, and followed up Tuesday with explicit confidence that Hall will be ready for the regular-season opener. That matters. Hall is the unquestioned centerpiece of New York's backfield and one of the offense's primary weapons. A prolonged absence would reshape the Jets' early-season outlook considerably.

The situation bears watching. Hall has dealt with serious knee injuries earlier in his career, and while a groin strain is a different animal, the preseason timing creates real uncertainty heading into a year the Jets need a clean start.

The Bigger Picture

Two Iowa State alumni, two injury scares, one week. For Cyclone fans tracking their own in the league, the contrast is stark: Hall has a path back, Higgins does not — at least not in 2026.

Also worth a mention on the periphery: fellow ISU alum David Montgomery, also with Houston, has been generating buzz around an expanded dual-threat role with the Texans this season. With Higgins now gone and the receiver room in flux, Montgomery's contributions in the passing game may matter more than initially anticipated for a Houston offense working to stay dangerous.

The NFL preseason is supposed to be about refinement and preparation. For Iowa State's alumni contingent, this week was a reminder that it carries real stakes too.

Iowa State's NFL footprint is hard to miss this preseason. Three Cyclones alumni are making noise across three different teams — and the stories couldn't be more different in tone.

Purdy Still Proving the Doubters Wrong

Brock Purdy keeps adding receipts. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback has been ranked in the top 10 in three separate categories by ESPN heading into the 2025 season — rankings that, per Yahoo Sports, prompted some eyebrow-raising from those who've long underestimated the former Mr. Irrelevant. Whatever the methodology, the numbers reflect a player who has firmly cemented himself as a legitimate franchise quarterback, not a system product.

On the field, Purdy continued to back it up in joint practices with the Tennessee Titans, where he was once again a standout. A social-media-driven roundup of the session showed the 49ers signal-caller operating with the composure and precision that has become his calling card. He's expected to play — or at minimum be evaluated — as San Francisco's preseason schedule ramps up, though his availability for their Titans matchup was being monitored as a precaution.

Purdy also has a potential new weapon to get excited about: rookie wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling has turned heads at camp with his hands, giving Kyle Shanahan another tool in an already dangerous offensive system. More targets, more chances for Purdy to keep climbing those ESPN lists.

Hall Keeps It Light in New York

Over in New Jersey, Breece Hall is keeping the mood loose — even when fists are flying. The Jets running back offered a candid and hilarious take on his personal code of conduct after New York's joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned physical on Tuesday. Hall laid out his self-imposed rules about getting involved in training camp scraps, and it was exactly the kind of disarming, self-aware quote that makes him one of the more entertaining personalities in the locker room.

Off the comedy circuit, Hall remains one of the most dynamic backfield talents in the AFC. Entering 2025 healthy and in a Jets offense trying to capitalize on a fully operational Aaron Rodgers, his workload and opportunity this season are significant. Joint-practice fights or not, Hall is keeping his focus sharp where it counts.

Porter Faces a Year 2 Proving Ground

In Las Vegas, Darien Porter is facing the defining challenge of any young defensive back: turning a promising rookie campaign into a starting job. The former Cyclones cornerback, selected by the Raiders in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, is being evaluated on two clear benchmarks heading into Year 2 — locking down a starting outside cornerback spot and cleaning up his tackling consistency.

Competition for the role is described as steep, and the Raiders aren't handing him anything. But Porter has the pedigree — his time in Ames produced one of the more quietly productive CB prospects in recent Iowa State history — and preseason is his window to make the argument stick. The next few weeks of camp and exhibition games will tell a lot about whether he's ready to take that step.

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From the Bay Area to New York to the desert, the Cyclones are spread across the league and earning their reps. Purdy is the headliner, but Hall and Porter are writing chapters worth following all the same.

Iowa State alumni are scattered across the NFL landscape this preseason, and four of them are generating legitimate storylines heading into the 2026 regular season.

Purdy Earns Evaluator Respect — But Rankings Don't Reflect It

Brock Purdy continues to be one of the league's most polarizing quarterback conversations, and not for the reasons critics might expect. Despite quarterback rankings that look "merely respectable" on paper, NFL evaluators are going out of their way to explain what separates Purdy from the pack — describing him as stronger, faster, and more capable than his public perception suggests. The broader San Francisco context only helps: the 49ers front office, led by GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan, schematically engineered a reunion with Deebo Samuel specifically to maximize what Purdy does best, signaling organizational trust in their Iowa State product at the highest level. Samuel himself cited familiarity as a key driver of his return — familiarity, largely, with Purdy.

Uwazurike Turns Heads in Denver

The buzz around Eyioma Uwazurike at Broncos training camp has hit what one report called "fever pitch." The former Iowa State standout is impressing both coaches and teammates early on, emerging as one of the more talked-about players at Denver's camp. For a defensive tackle who has flashed upside throughout his career, this kind of early camp momentum could translate into a meaningful role in 2026.

McDonald IV: Jets' Forgotten Man or Breakout Candidate?

Will McDonald IV is one of the more intriguing storylines on the Jets' roster heading into camp. New head coach Aaron Glenn has an edge rusher room full of new faces, and McDonald — despite being a first-round pick — has become something of a "forgotten man" in the shuffle. That framing cuts both ways: it's a concern, but it also sets the stage for a potential breakout. McDonald himself is reportedly focused on becoming a more complete defender, which, if the development clicks, could force his way back into the conversation quickly.

Noel Back on the Field in Houston

Jaylin Noel's training camp got off to a delayed start, but the Texans activated the wide receiver from the non-football injury list, clearing him to return to practice. The Iowa State product joins a Houston receiver room that also includes fellow Cyclones Jayden Higgins and Xavier Hutchinson — an unusual alumni concentration on a single depth chart. Noel's return to full participation is a positive development for his chances of making the 53-man roster.