Tight End U? It's Not Iowa, But The Hawkeyes Are Close To No. 1

Program is third at the position in Sports Illustrated's rankings.

Noah Fant and T.J. Hockenson were first-round NFL draft picks.

George Kittle went from being a fifth-round selection to an All-Pro and an appearance in the Super Bowl.

Iowa's tight ends have made a big impact in the NFL in recent seasons, making the Hawkeyes one of the top programs for the position.

Iowa came in third in Sports Illustrated's list of the top 10 programs for tight ends.

SI looked at programs over the last 10 seasons, using a scoring system for rankings by position groups.

DRAFT POSITION

Top 10: 4 points

Round 1 (non-top 10): 3 points

Rounds 2-3: 2 points

Rounds 4-7: 1 point

Undrafted: 0 points

NFL GAMES STARTED

80-plus: 5 points

48 to 79: 4 points

16 to 47: 3 points

5 to 15: 2 points

1 to 4: 1 point

NFL AWARDS

Offensive Player of the Year: 4 points

First-Team All-Pro: 3 points

Offensive Rookie of the Year: 2 points

Stanford was first with 33 points. Miami was second with 30. Iowa was third with 29.

A look at Iowa's tight ends who have made it to the NFL:

George Kittle (2017 fifth round, 37 starts, All-Pro)

T.J. Hockenson (2019 8th overall, 7 starts)

Noah Fant (2019 first round, 11 starts)

C.J. Fiedorowicz (2014 third round, 42 starts)

Tony Moeaki (2010 third round, 31 starts)

Allen Reisner (2011 undrafted, 3 starts)

Henry Krieger-Coble (2016 undrafted)