They will dominate the Badgers oline and make them look like they’re pounding mud.. GO HAWKS !
Iowa’s DLine is by far the best.. in the country
- Thread starter Hawkeyeinsoutherncalifornia
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I like our guys. A lot. But, as far as being the best in college football, Clemson might take exception. Four probable first round draft picks there. 
Maybe...the ISU game sure reminded of of the ‘09 Defense on all three levels...IIRC Jack Lambert told Eddie at halftime of the PSU game we had the best college DL he had ever seen...
I will let you know after Saturdays game, We are going up against one of the best O lines in the country. Something has to give.
I would be comfortable saying they are a top 10 DL for sure, but to suggest they are the best is crazy as of now.
Interesting topic though - about a month ago I was listening to the ESPNU channel's "First Team" morning talk show and Greg McElroy said that he thinks DL is the most important college position group, and discussed how teams with a great DL are positioned to get to the CFP. Of course, he wasn't discussing Iowa as I think he was running through the best teams in the southeastern part of the country, but it made me think of the best Hawkeye teams and in general it is absolutely true.
Interesting topic though - about a month ago I was listening to the ESPNU channel's "First Team" morning talk show and Greg McElroy said that he thinks DL is the most important college position group, and discussed how teams with a great DL are positioned to get to the CFP. Of course, he wasn't discussing Iowa as I think he was running through the best teams in the southeastern part of the country, but it made me think of the best Hawkeye teams and in general it is absolutely true.
I agree with this. Particularly if you have great depth, it can cover up a lot of defensive shortcomings.
Thanks Mom, but you're embarrassing us.
What a ridiculous post. Very good DL but come on.... there’s a lot of games left.
You obviously don't watch much football.
Clemson has the best DL and it's not even close. Watch next years draft, they have two guys that will probs be top 10.
Clemson has the best DL and it's not even close. Watch next years draft, they have two guys that will probs be top 10.
If only Epenesa or Nelson could pin Hornibrook a couple of times and soften that weak armed lefty, Iowa could really own Wisconsin. When Iowa has enough DL depth to be truly two deep so that these speed up spread option teams see ready to go defensemen and not air gasping big guys, Iowa can smash mouth with the best of them.
Way too far man, by far the best in the nation.........cmon man
I agree it's too early to anoint them as the best but disagree with lack of depth in the middle.
They have Brinks and Nelson starting and one could argue that the backups Lattimore and Reiff are just as good if not better. Reiff I believe had the best PFF grade on defense against UNI and looks like a good inside pass rusher. Not many teams can boast having 4 high quality tackles.
Additionally, Hesse can rotate inside and gives them an additional pass rusher on passing downs.
This line can go 8 deep and not lose any quality.
I mean technically we beat three 'national' teams already...nationally ranked? Maybe we could say the same for Wisconsin, right? I said it before on another post, ISU is going bowling this year...they've played us, and OK, who is probably in line for a potential playoff berth and ISU gave them some football on Saturday. NIU wins the MAC. Those are some decent tests...we don't have to play Bama to prove we are legit.
I wouldn't worry about how we stack up nationally ... I'll just be stoked if we can speak about the current DL in the same breath as our '09, '04, or '02 DLs. If that ends up being the case ... then we could be in store for a fun ride this season!
I just spoke to an NFL scout, he thinks this may be the best DLine he has ever seen in 75 years as a scout.
Does that scout know about Clemson? Hell, for that matter, has he heard of Alabama?
Lets be real here with our DL and the NFL:
1) Hesse- Love the kid but undersized- could actually be a good OLB in 3-4 in NFL
2) Matt Nelson- Maybe late round draft pick or free agent- Kind of a tweener- too slow for DE too tall for DT? Could make $ in NFL if in the right system, however; probably focus on medical school
3) AJ Eppy- Projecting to be legit 1st round pick
4) A Nelson- 2-4th round draft pick probably?
5) Golston- Unknown- like his versatility and so will NFL: Christian Ballard type
6) Latimore- Potential to be an NFL guy
7) Reiff- Way too early and not enough snaps
I will say that if all return and add Nixon- you might be able to make the best in nation comment.
Saturday evening at Kinnick Stadium, humanity finally finds out what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object.
The old Steve Deace adage is "pack a good DL on the road" and "you can't hide your QB," makes sense to me and is true most of the time. Especially when you have 7-8 DLs with differing skill sets, body types and techniques.
Do you mean like a Derek Pagel type hit vs. Bollinger circa 2005? Minus the helmet to helmet hit of course, that was wicked on the sidelines. It was the day we knocked out QB1 and QB2.
We'll lose Hesse and M. Nelson ... but I anticipate that everybody else returns for '19. Also, Golston reminds me more of A. Nelson than he does of Ballard. More importantly, Golston loves football a lot more than Ballard ever did ... and that's why I anticipate that Chauncey will end up a much better college player too (compared to Ballard).
Lattimore is already more productive than he was last year ... and he's only improving. It will be cool to see how high his football star might rise. He was the raw skills to be a high-caliber player ... but he's not "there" yet (not even close).
Reiff reminds me of a slightly taller version of Klug. Depending on how he physically develops ... it will be interesting to see how good he can be.
Linderbaum reminds me of a combo of Klug and Babs .... really active and can use his hands well. But he's still really young and green ... it will be interesting to see how he turns out too. It's impressive that he's already jumped on the coaches radar so early though!
We really don't know much about Nixon ... but it's exciting to hear how positive Coach Morgan is about him.
It's crazy to think that we could graduate 3 starters from the DL ... and potentially not even lose a beat!
I only mentioned Ballard in comparison because he was productive as DE and DT much Golston. I agree, love the 3 Seniors but add Nixon and another year for Golston, Eppy, Nelson, Linderbaum, Shannon, Reiff with Doyle and Morgan........holy shit thats super good.
People forget that every position Morgan has coached has drastically improved (started with TE, moved to OL and now DL after that dipshit coach K)
Saturday night is a big test. Let's see what they can do.
http://www.cfbstats.com/2018/leader/national/team/defense/split01/category01/sort01.html
Talking DLine, not team overall. So far, in this early season, Iowa has a better rushing defense than the teams you mentioned.
I like that way you stated this and agree with the point you are making.
At the end of the day, Iowa does not have the most talented DL in the country, but that’s not the point. They could be one of the best though because of the way they play. Parker Hesse is a great example. He’s not a physical freak, but he’s very good at his job. Watch the way he plays - he seems to know when he needs to hold the edge and when he should rush. The rest of the unit understands their roles as well. Iowa is not the most talented DL in the nation, but they could be one of the best because they have good talent and they play their roles very well. The adage ‘the whole is greater than the sum of the parts’ may be the best way to describe this group if they continue to follow the trajectory they are on.
Do you really think he talked to a guy that has been a scout for 75 years
Guessing he wasn't being serious. Call it a hunch
Those teams you mention have more talent than Iowa
Yeah, I tend to call BS when a guy says he’s been a scout for over 70 years, let alone 75.
Only 5 teams have more than 7 sacks by the DL position.
Clemson - 11
Okla St - 10.5
Iowa - 10
Ohio St - 10
Penn St - 9
Here are those same teams ranked against the run. (yards allowed per attempt)
Iowa - 1.54
Clemson - 2.09
Okla St - 2.11
Penn St - 3.53
Ohio St - 4.42
Clemson - 11
Okla St - 10.5
Iowa - 10
Ohio St - 10
Penn St - 9
Here are those same teams ranked against the run. (yards allowed per attempt)
Iowa - 1.54
Clemson - 2.09
Okla St - 2.11
Penn St - 3.53
Ohio St - 4.42
It’s ok son, I put your Twinkie and your soda pop in your bag with a rice crispy treat and your favorite pickle
You know I love pickle! love you mom!
Brady Reiff takes exception to this post.
Believe Brady had 2 sacks in the last game, or TFL.
Go Hawks !!
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