Reaction to Saturday's Hawkeye Draft Picks

Erick All Jr., Tory Taylor, Logan Lee Picked By NFL

Iowa TE Erick All Jr. (Photo: Rob Howe/HN) /

The 2024 NFL Draft wrapped up on Saturday in Detroit. The third day of the event saw three Iowa players selected and three more signed free agent deals. Philadelphia chose Hawkeye defensive back Cooper DeJean during Friday's second round. 

Tight end Erick All Jr. heard his name called first on Saturday. His hometown-area Cincinnati Bengals tabbed him with the 15th pick of the fourth round, the 115th overall selection. 

Seven picks later, All-American punter Tory Taylor went to Chicago. The Australian was the first specialist drafted this year. 

In Round 6, Pittsburgh grabbed defensive tackle Logan Lee. The Illinois native was the 178th player picked. 

Following the seventh and final round, Iowa reported three free agent signings for its student-athletes. Noah Shannon joined Las Vegas, Baltimore grabbed Joe Evans and Steven Stilianos was headed to Tennessee. 

All Jr. graduated from Fairfield (Ohio) High as a member of the 2019 recruiting class. The nation's No. 13 tight end prospect according to the 247Sports consensus, he committed to the Wolverines ahead of scholarship offers from Florida State, Iowa, Notre Dame, Wisconsin and others. 

Injuries limited All Jr. to just 10 games combined during the last two seasons. He still managed to be named All-Big Ten honorable mention by league coaches in '23 after catching 21 passes for 299 yards and three touchdowns in seven contests. 

All couldn't believe his fortune of getting his NFL chance with the franchise a half hour from his hometown. 

Taylor became just the second punter from Iowa ever picked in the draft. Miami selected Waterloo's Reggie Roby in 1983. 

Taylor won the '24 Ray Guy Award as nation’s top collegiate punter and was a consensus All-American. He broke an NCAA all-time punting yardage record set  in 1938. He also had the best career punting average (46.3), single-season punting average (48.2) and most career games averaging 40 or more yards (43) in NCAA history.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams was taken by the Bears with the No. 1 overall pick. He had a message for Taylor. 

Lee impressed scouts throughout the pre-draft process, from the Senior Bowl to Iowa's pro day. He even worked out at tight end. 

Lee, a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree, started 41 games as a Hawkeye, racking up 158 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss (TFL), 9.0 sacks and seven pass break-ups. In '23, he paced Hawkeye defensive linemen with 55.0 tackles, recording 5.5 TFL, 3.0 sacks, three pass break-ups and blocked a field goal.

Steelers D-Line coach Karl Dunbar talked about Lee following the selection. 

Nico Ragaini and Rusty Feth are two other draft-eligible Hawkeyes hoping to sign as free agents or be invited to try out.