Two years ago when James Daniels and Josh Jackson declared for the NFL Draft, it was seen as an anomaly for the Iowa football program. Kirk Ferentz’s teams don’t experience early attrition like some of the other programs in this country. It’s just not how they build the program.
So when four players (TJ Hockenson, Noah Fant, Anthony Nelson, and Amani Hooker) declared for the 2019 NFL Draft early, it was stunning move from a macro level view. When you look closer it made sense. Each of these guys either is projected first-round prospects or their stock wasn’t going to get higher by going back to school.