The # of players we send to the pros/# of players that get drafted out of Iowa is not going to affect the # of wins we get as much as some people seem to think it should.
Even though LSU only had 5 players drafted and Iowa had 6... LSU is clearly the more talented team. They just have more talent on their roster. Sure, we have 6 guys that got drafted, but those guys are the exception, because we had how many other guys on the team see significant playing time that didn't/most likely won't go pro?
The best players on our team were very very good and have been for a few years now. We had some of the best players in the country at certain positions, but football is a team sport. If you have even 1 weak spot... good teams/coaches will find a way to take advantage of it.
For example, if we have 4 D-linemen that are pro-level players, but weak linebackers or a weak secondary (for the most part, with the exception of maybe a couple players)... good teams will be able to counter our amazing defensive line by making quick 5 yard passes each play/attacking the weak spots.
Or if we have a weak safety behind a weak corner... Attack that side on the deep ball and 1 play can = a touchdown.
With a team like LSU... they might have less players that got drafted, but they had very few weak spots. Even if they didn't have as many/as good of players in this years draft class... they still had better players overall... a better team.
I would say there is usually quite a big gap between our best players and our weaker players that see significant time. With teams like LSU and Alabama... the gap isn't as big and that is why they are better teams. If someone gets hurt or someone is having a poor game... they can usually just plug in the next guy and not really see a huge talent gap in a lot of cases.
However, regardless, the coaching staff deserves some major props for how they are able to produce such great talent. They are great at developing players and getting them pro ready--and to be honest, I think NFL scouts/teams are well aware of this and it gives Hawkeyes an edge when going into draft day over someone equally, if not slightly more talented that played for a different team.
Heck, sometimes, I am slightly surprised by the guys that do get drafted out of Iowa and maybe it is because I didn't realize how good they actually were... or could it be because of the fact that they are from Iowa that NFL teams have an easier time giving them the nod?
I don't really know and I'd have a hard time believing that it is the latter of the two all that often, if ever, but eventually this has to start drawing in better talent as a whole in our recruiting classes.
In fact, I'm surprised we don't get 4*-5* recruits more often with the success we have had in regard to sending players to the NFL.
Is Iowa really that unappealing to recruits? I mean sure... playing in a "warm weather state" might be more appealing, but do these recruits not realize they will only be there for 4 years? If I thought I had a chance of going pro and wanted to give myself the best shot at going pro... I would be willing to sacrifice playing in warm weather for 4 years if I thought going to Iowa would give me even a slightly better chance of going pro.
And for the players that end up not going pro... I'm sure you are getting a better education at Iowa than you would be getting at most SEC schools.
I don't know, maybe I am overlooking something here. I guess I'm not really taking into account that Iowa isn't a very good "fit" for a player that is flashy and has a little bit of "cockiness" or "swagger" that a lot of these 4 and 5 star recruits often have coming out of high school. (Something that comes along with being told you are the best all of the time for most of your life.)
P.S.--- A question that popped into my head while typing this: How often and how intensely do we pursue top-level high school talent? It just makes me wonder a little bit if we aren't getting more 4-5* players because we simply don't recruit them, because we assume we wouldn't get them? (I really doubt this is the case, but just curious--I don't follow football recruiting very closely)
