Iowa Professional Athletes

Iowa's NFL alumni delivered one of their more eventful weeks of the 2026 season, with two tight ends turning heads in the right direction and a starting cornerback turning ankles — or rather, ribs — in the wrong one.

Hockenson Is the Viking Who Can't Be Stopped

T.J. Hockenson put on a clinic in Minnesota's Week 4 win over the Miami Dolphins, hauling in all 13 of his targets for 119 receiving yards in a 15-10 Vikings victory. With Justin Jefferson sidelined, Hockenson became Kyler Murray's security blanket — and Murray leaned on him hard. Hockenson has since spoken openly about the chemistry he's building with his new QB, calling it a genuine bright spot in what has been a transitional season in Minnesota. For Hawkeye fans who watched Hockenson become one of the most technically polished tight ends in Iowa history, this was a performance that felt like a statement.

LaPorta Delivers, Then Raises Eyebrows

Sam LaPorta was nearly as impressive in Detroit's 26-32 loss to the Carolina Panthers, catching 8 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. The second-year tight end continues to assert himself as a legitimate focal point of the Lions' passing game. The wrinkle: LaPorta has been guarded in his public comments about a contract extension with Detroit, offering a notably muted one-word description of the situation this week that did little to inspire confidence about his long-term future with the franchise. On the field, he's making the case for a big payday. Off it, the situation bears watching.

Moss Can't Stay Healthy

Riley Moss's season is becoming defined by the injury report. The Broncos cornerback — already banged up heading into Week 4 — suffered a rib injury against the San Francisco 49ers and was ruled out of that game. He then missed the subsequent matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers as well, with Denver officially ruling him out alongside All-Pro Pat Surtain II. The Broncos are now navigating their secondary without both starting corners, and Moss's absence has stretched across multiple games with no firm return timeline in sight.

The Rest of the Hawkeye Board

Beyond the top three storylines, it was a solid week for Iowa alumni scattered across the league. Cooper DeJean picked off a pass for the Eagles in a 20-24 loss to the Rams — a bright spot in a disappointing result. George Kittle caught 4 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown as the 49ers beat Denver 24-14, then spent the week heaping praise on the Seahawks' defense ahead of a Week 5 road trip. Xavier Nwankpa snagged an interception for the Chiefs in their 30-27 win over Las Vegas. Chauncey Golston, however, ended the week on a grim note: the Giants defensive end left New York's win over Arizona with a neck injury and was subsequently placed on injured reserve. Jack Campbell was fined by the NFL for an incident in the same Lions-Panthers game where LaPorta scored.

It was, in short, a week that captured the full spectrum of an Iowa alumni base that is wide, productive, and occasionally bruised.

Iowa tight ends ran the NFL in Week 3. George Kittle put on a clinic in Santa Clara, and Noah Fant quietly had a night of his own in the Superdome. For a program that has made the position a pipeline, it was a fitting reminder of what Iowa produces.

Kittle Is Must-See TV

The 49ers improved to 3-0 — the NFL's only undefeated team at the time — and their alpha tight end was the biggest reason why. Kittle finished San Francisco's 36-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals with 6 catches, 82 yards, and 2 touchdowns. He's topped 80 receiving yards in each of the 49ers' first three games, and head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense is running squarely through him.

The performance wasn't without its footnotes. Kittle drew a holding penalty that wiped out a Brock Purdy 45-yard touchdown run, prompting Purdy to jokingly call his tight end "selfish" in postgame remarks. Kittle also acknowledged he's bracing for an NFL fine over a celebration the league deemed excessive. Neither development seemed to dampen his mood — or his production.

Looking ahead, the matchup with the Denver Broncos' Talanoa Hufanga in Week 4 is already generating noise. Both players were asked about each other publicly ahead of the Sunday tilt, with the 49ers reportedly providing Hufanga some bulletin board material in the process. Kittle, playing like the best tight end in football right now, will be the story wherever San Francisco goes.

Fant Delivers in a Losing Effort

In New Orleans, former Iowa TE Noah Fant had a performance worth noticing even if the result wasn't: 4 catches, 33 yards, and 2 touchdowns in the Saints' 35-27 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Fant was one of two Saints tight ends to score twice — Juwan Johnson also notched a pair of TDs — giving New Orleans four touchdown catches from the TE position on the night. Fant's box score doesn't dazzle in yardage, but two scores from a tight end is two scores.

Around the Rest of the Hawkeye NFL Landscape

Jack Campbell (Lions, LB) is drawing scrutiny after a slow start to the 2026 season. Detroit coach Dan Campbell addressed the linebacker's struggles publicly, and Lions beat reporters have flagged his play as a concern in an otherwise promising Detroit defense. Head coach Campbell's message, relayed through the media: relax and trust the process.

Lukas Van Ness (Packers, DE) is trending in the right direction. A film-room breakdown by Yahoo Sports NFL highlighted Van Ness as one of Green Bay's early-season standouts, grading him as a legitimate primary pass-rusher through three games.

Tyler Goodson (Cowboys, RB) earned a surprise start in Week 3 against the Ravens, coming off the bench after Dallas benched veteran Emari Demercado. Goodson logged 22 rushing yards and caught one pass, though the Cowboys fell 34-31.

Sam LaPorta (Lions, TE) chipped in 3 receptions for 44 yards in Detroit's 31-24 win over the Jets, adding to a solid supporting role in an offense with no shortage of weapons.

Yahya Black (Steelers, DE) played in Pittsburgh's win over Cincinnati but appeared on the injury report as questionable for a personal reason ahead of Thursday Night Football against Cleveland. His status for Week 4 remained uncertain as of the report's release.

Iowa's NFL footprint is deep — but right now, the tight end room is putting on a clinic.

Iowa's NFL alumni had one of their most eventful weeks of the young season, with George Kittle delivering the league's most emotional moment, Lukas Van Ness cementing himself as a legitimate pass-rush threat, and Beau Stephens making his professional debut.

Kittle Is Back — and the 49ers Felt Every Bit of It

The headline of Iowa's week belonged to George Kittle, who scored his first touchdown since tearing his Achilles in a dominant 35-13 San Francisco victory over Miami on September 20. The moment was more than a box-score entry. Per Sports Illustrated, the reaction from 49ers teammates was visceral — a genuine outpouring that underscored what Kittle means to the franchise beyond his production. He finished the game with four receptions for 80 yards and the score, and was promptly vaulted back into the top five of Week 3 tight end fantasy rankings.

The week didn't stop there for Kittle. Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, he offered a candid take on head coach Kyle Shanahan's coaching style — calling him "brutally honest" — and weighed in publicly after the NFL fined fullback Kyle Juszczyk $14,926 for an unsanctioned beer-chug celebration following the win. Kittle's reaction was characteristically blunt. He's not just playing well; he's back as one of the most compelling personalities in the game.

Van Ness Is Wreaking Havoc in Green Bay

Through two weeks, Lukas Van Ness looks like one of the Packers' most important players. He notched a sack in Green Bay's 20-17 win over the Jets on September 20, and CBS Sports named him one of the league's breakout stars through the first two weeks of the season, grouping him alongside Dallas Turner as pass rushers "wreaking havoc on opposing offenses." His emergence has become notable enough that Heavy Sports reported Bleacher Report still sees value in the Packers potentially pursuing a trade for another edge rusher — which speaks more to Green Bay's Super Bowl ambitions than any shortcoming from Van Ness himself.

His Week 2 performance against New York was described as stealing the show in what was otherwise a full team effort for the Packers. The former first-round pick appears to finally be cashing in on the potential that made him a lottery selection out of Iowa City.

Stephens Steps In for Seattle

Beau Stephens, a fifth-round pick in the 2026 draft, made his NFL debut for the Seahawks in their 31-7 win over Arizona on September 20. Both Yahoo Sports and Sports Illustrated's All-22 reviews characterized his debut as promising, a solid first step for an offensive lineman breaking into a starting-caliber NFL unit. For a guard selected late in the draft, surviving — and contributing — in a blowout win is a reasonable start.

Other Hawkeyes to Watch

Fellow Packer Kaleb Johnson carried the ball eight times for 32 yards against the Jets in Week 2, then added six rushing yards and a reception against Atlanta on Thursday. Head coach Matt LaFleur has publicly teased a larger role for the rookie running back going forward. Dane Belton's name appeared among the Jets' offseason moves already paying dividends, per Sports Illustrated. And Riley Moss picked off a pass in Denver's 20-13 win over Jacksonville, continuing to establish himself as one of the more underrated Hawkeye defensive backs in the league.

Iowa's alumni footprint across the NFL is as wide as any program's — and through two weeks, the headliners are delivering.

Iowa's NFL alumni delivered a week full of highlights — and heartbreak

The Hawkeyes had fingerprints all over the NFL's opening two weeks, from clutch receiving performances and a sack to a controversial fine and one of the most emotional postgame moments of the young season.

LaPorta, Hockenson, and Fant: Iowa TEs Running the League

The most consistent thread connecting Iowa's NFL week was the position Kirk Ferentz has made his calling card: tight end. Three Hawkeye TEs found the end zone or made noise in key spots across Weeks 1 and 2.

Sam LaPorta quietly put together back-to-back reliable outings for Detroit. In Week 1, the second-year Lions TE hauled in five catches for 48 yards in a nail-biting 31-30 win over the Saints — a game where Noah Fant, on the other sideline, countered with four catches for 33 yards and a touchdown of his own. LaPorta answered in Week 2, catching six passes for 52 yards and a touchdown in the Lions' Thursday night loss to the Bills. He's a reliable target for Detroit's offense under new OC Drew Petzing.

T.J. Hockenson, meanwhile, reminded everyone he's healthy and dangerous. The Vikings TE caught four passes for 36 yards and a touchdown in Minnesota's dominant 39-22 Week 1 win over Green Bay — a win that came, in large part, thanks to the next Hawkeye on this list.

Van Ness: Sack, Controversy, and a Fine That Raised Eyebrows

Lukas Van Ness recorded a sack in Green Bay's Week 1 loss to Minnesota, but the story that followed was messier. Van Ness was involved in the hit that sent Vikings QB Kyler Murray out of the game with a concussion — yet the NFL elected not to fine him for that play. Instead, the league fined Van Ness $17,911 for a separate illegal hit on Carson Wentz during the same game. The split decision drew immediate scrutiny, with many observers questioning the league's consistency. Van Ness was also briefly listed on the injury report ahead of Week 2 against the Jets before being removed and cleared to play.

Campbell's Gut-Punch Night in Buffalo

Detroit's Thursday night trip to Buffalo was rough all around, but it hit Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell especially hard. The Bills torched the Lions for 41 points and 446 yards, and Campbell — recently paid on a new contract — was visibly shaken afterward. He fought back tears at the podium while trying to explain the collapse, and alongside Aidan Hutchinson, called the defensive performance "terrible." Sports Illustrated flagged Campbell's run defense as a specific concern in the loss, raising questions about whether his big offseason extension came at the right moment. The rawness of Campbell's postgame moment resonated widely — a young leader confronting a humbling early-season test in public.

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It was an opening fortnight that captured everything Iowa football tends to produce at the next level: dependable tight ends doing their jobs, physical defenders making plays and headlines, and leaders wearing their emotions without apology. The Hawkeye footprint in the NFL is alive, well, and messy in the best way.