He is up there. If there were a list of under appreciated Iowa football players, I would argue it would start with Drew Tate.
Tate was certainly maligned for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, although his 2005 season was actually quite good, and both 2005 and 2006 saw him fighting injuries.
Hard to say in Ed's case. Would you rank him with a Fred Russell, Ladell Betts, Sedrick Shaw, Tavian Banks? How would you rank him with a Nate Chandler?
Football has definitely changed since the 1966-1967-1968 seasons in which Ed played. Just look at the Al Grady book, where you will see multiple QBs throwing and passing every game, single-wing, wing-T vs. what we might call "modern" offenses, and the fact that Ed played as a QB AND a HB/RB (halfback, NOT "H-Back").
But Ladell Betts gets much of his mention exactly because of the fact he also played on absolutely CRAPPY teams in 1998-1999-2000.
Personally, I only saw Ed as a pro, for the KC Chiefs. He was definitely a top-notch guy for them. But, again, looking at the Al Grady book, I would say he is under-appreciated by "modern day" fans. Just not sure he is an "icon" on the level of Kinnick or Long, Ploen or Duncan. How would he have fared on those Evy teams? Would he have been a top player under Hayden? The overriding factor that makes me say he would probably succeed in any era is the fact he was tough, versatile, competitive and very much a "team-first" player. He should certainly be a BTN "icon" above anyone of his era that played for PSU, Nebraska, et. al.