All-KF Era Team: DL

Pick your top 4 DL...

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CP87

Well-Known Member
Believe it or not, we have only had 2 DL who earned consensus All-American status.

Daviyon Nixon (2020)
Adrian Clayborn (2010)

Additionally, the following earned 2nd team AA status:

Matt Roth (2004)
Mitch King (2008)
AJ Epenesa (2019)

1st team All-B1G honorees:

Aaron Kampman (2001)
Colin Cole (2002)
Howard Hodges (2002)
Matt Roth (2003, 2004)
Jonathan Babineaux (2004)
Kenny Iwebema (2005)
Mitch King (2007, 2008)
Adrian Clayborn (2009, 2010)
Jaleel Johnson (2016)
AJ Epenesa (2018, 2019)
Chauncey Gholston (2020)
Daviyon Nion (2020)

B1G DL of the Year:

Mitch King (2008), Daviyon Nixon (2020)

B1G Defensive Player of the Year:

Daviyon Nixon (2020)

Tough choices. The weirdest thing is that Nixon is by far our most decorated DL, and yet he really did all of his work in one year, and a COVID year at that. How do you consider that?

Have at it, this is a tough one.
 
Clayborn,, Roth, Babineaux, King

Part of me also wanted to go with Epenensa and Dixon. Maybe if they would have played 4 years that would have helped.
 
guffus said:
Clayborn,, Roth, Babineaux, King

Part of me also wanted to go with Epenensa and Dixon. Maybe if they would have played 4 years that would have helped.
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Nowadays any player good enough to make consideration it's a 95% chance they only play 3 years. 4 years is cool and all but it's the way of the world now.
 
I sat next to Epy’s family when we dismantled Minnesota (?). For sure an away game. It was a party!
 
Fryowa said:
Clayborn, Nixon, Babineaux, Kampman.

Have to choose 2 DTs and 2 DEs.
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Did Babineaux play as a space eater? I don't remember, but all of our great DLs have had a dude who just battles and eats up blocks, but doesn't get much in the way of stats. As big and athletic as Nixon was, he didn't really do that, he played more as the quick DT that disrupted things (ala Mitch King or Karl Klug).

Those block-eaters like Yahya Black, Logan Lee, Jack Heflin, Nathan Bazata, or Louis Trinca-Pasat were a huge part of all great Iowa defenses.

Some others who didn't necessary have the accolades but were damn good: Carl Davis, Drew Ott (the "what if" member of the team), Christian Ballard, Mike Daniels, Broderick Binns, Matt Kroul, and the aforementioned Karl Klug. I am sure I am missing some other dudes.
 
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Current NFL DL from Iowa (according to ESPN):

Yahya Black (Pit)
AJ Epenesa (Buf)
Chauncy Gholston (NYG)
Jack Heflin (NYJ)
Logan Lee (Pit)
Lukas Van Ness (GB)
Anthony Nelson (TB)

Other NFL DL from the KF-era (via pro football reference, listing guys that were on rosters for more than 1 year):

Matt Roth (2005 - 2011)
Derreck Robinson (2005 - 2010)
Kenny Iwebema (2008 - 2010)
Aaron Kampman (2002 - 2011)
Jonathan Babineaux (2005 - 2016)
Karl Klug (2011 - 2017)
Adrian Clayborn (2011 - 2020)
Christian Ballard (2011 - 2012)
Daviyon Nixon (2021 - 2022)
Mitch King (2010 - 2011)
Jaleel Johnson (2017 - 2023)
Carl Davis (2015 - 2024)
Mike Daniels (2012 - 2021)
Colin Cole (2004 - 2015)
Jared Clauss (2004 - 2005)

While our DL hasn't racked up the accolades of our OL or TEs, it is possible that in terms of NFL longevity, no position over the last 25 years has been more impressive?
 
guffus said:
Clayborn,, Roth, Babineaux, King

Part of me also wanted to go with Epenensa and Dixon. Maybe if they would have played 4 years that would have helped.
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This is mine as well. Roth had a great motor. If I had to choose 6 for rotational purposes I would fill it out with Van Ness and Epenesa for versatlity
 
CP87 said:
Current NFL DL from Iowa (according to ESPN):

Yahya Black (Pit)
AJ Epenesa (Buf)
Chauncy Gholston (NYG)
Jack Heflin (NYJ)
Logan Lee (Pit)
Lukas Van Ness (GB)
Anthony Nelson (TB)

Other NFL DL from the KF-era (via pro football reference, listing guys that were on rosters for more than 1 year):

Matt Roth (2005 - 2011)
Derreck Robinson (2005 - 2010)
Kenny Iwebema (2008 - 2010)
Aaron Kampman (2002 - 2011)
Jonathan Babineaux (2005 - 2016)
Karl Klug (2011 - 2017)
Adrian Clayborn (2011 - 2020)
Christian Ballard (2011 - 2012)
Daviyon Nixon (2021 - 2022)
Mitch King (2010 - 2011)
Jaleel Johnson (2017 - 2023)
Carl Davis (2015 - 2024)
Mike Daniels (2012 - 2021)
Colin Cole (2004 - 2015)
Jared Clauss (2004 - 2005)

While our DL hasn't racked up the accolades of our OL or TEs, it is possible that in terms of NFL longevity, no position over the last 25 years has been more impressive?
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5 guys who played 10+ years

13 guys who played 5+ years (including 3 current).
 
Tyler Luebke

Swimmer turned defensive lineman. I’m kidding, just f*cking with everybody. Even though it was impressive what he did stepping in that 2004 year.

Matt Roth

Simply put, he was ahead of his time. He was an “edge rusher” before that position was actually called edge rusher. In 2004, he was called a defensive end.

Adrian Clayborn

The one arm man was simply dominant in 2009. It didn’t translate beyond that, but that 2009 season he was incredible.

Mike Daniels

Dude you just didn’t f*ck with. Very similar to Pat Angerer. You were going to take an ass whoppin if you got out of line.

Mitch King

At 260 lbs. he was awesome. He just needed to be 30-40 lbs. heavier.
 
I am going to cheat and provide a rotation.

For one DE, I want an anchor who makes it impossible to run outside his way, and also has enough juice to wreak havoc in the backfield. Starting Clayborn, with AJE backing him up.

For the other DE, I want a pass-rushing machine. I am going with Roth, with Van Ness or Anthony Nelson backing him up.

I want one block-eating DT. I am going to go with Babineaux (All-B1G, 12 year NFL vet), backed up by Jaleel Johnson (All-B1G, 7 year NFL vet). Tempted to go with the undersized Mike Daniels, but you cannot teach size.

I want one disruptive DT. I am going with Nixon, backed up by Mitch King.
 
When Nixon wanted to wreak havoc, he was the most unstoppable interior lineman I have seen at Iowa. He got more consistent as time went on, but he could take over a game when he was mad enough.
 
CP87 said:
Believe it or not, we have only had 2 DL who earned consensus All-American status.

Daviyon Nixon (2020)
Adrian Clayborn (2010)

Additionally, the following earned 2nd team AA status:

Matt Roth (2004)
Mitch King (2008)
AJ Epenesa (2019)

1st team All-B1G honorees:

Aaron Kampman (2001)
Colin Cole (2002)
Howard Hodges (2002)
Matt Roth (2003, 2004)
Jonathan Babineaux (2004)
Kenny Iwebema (2005)
Mitch King (2007, 2008)
Adrian Clayborn (2009, 2010)
Jaleel Johnson (2016)
AJ Epenesa (2018, 2019)
Chauncey Gholston (2020)
Daviyon Nion (2020)

B1G DL of the Year:

Mitch King (2008), Daviyon Nixon (2020)

B1G Defensive Player of the Year:

Daviyon Nixon (2020)

Tough choices. The weirdest thing is that Nixon is by far our most decorated DL, and yet he really did all of his work in one year, and a COVID year at that. How do you consider that?

Have at it, this is a tough one.
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Nixon's 2020 was a lot like Shonn Greene's 2008. Only one truly memorable year as a Hawkeye, but what a year.

I can still see Nixon streaking down the field at Penn State for a huge defensive score, complete with a cutback!
 
Fryowa said:
If you go to enough games it's tough to remember stuff like that.
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Memory is a weird thing...my wife was convinced that she was at the Iowa WBB regular season finale a few years ago with CC broke Pistol Pete's NCAA scoring record and Molly Davis injured her knee. Swore to it, up and down. I told her no, you were home with one of our sick kids. She did not believe it until I showed her our text message thread from the game.

We think of our memories like video recordings from moments we have lived, but we frequently combine different moments together into one memory, we completely imagine things and insert them into our memories (swearing they are real), we delete things, we apply filters to things that happened...our brains are weird, man.
 
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