ESPN’s Jordan Reid put together a full seven-round 2022 NFL mock draft. Similar to plenty of the other mock drafts out there, Iowa center Tyler Linderbaum was projected as a first-round draft pick by Reid to the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 24 overall pick.
The Cowboys must replace guard Connor Williams and provide competition for center Tyler Biadasz. Linderbaum is a hard-nosed run-blocker who can win by cutting off angles and punishing interior defenders with physicality.
He needs to get stronger to improve his anchor as a pass protector, but he’s a significant upgrade over what Dallas has at left guard now. – Reid, ESPN.
Linderbaum coming off the board in the first round is beginning to feel like more of a foregone conclusion. He performed well in his Pro Day and has been trending as a first-round pick for some time.
What was perhaps more interesting was the other Iowa Hawkeye that Reid had being drafted. Reid projected Iowa defensive stalwart Dane Belton to be drafted by the Denver Broncos with the No. 232 overall pick in the seventh round.
Belton finished his Iowa career with 26 starts. The 6-foot-1, 205 pound Tampa, Fla., native started all 14 games last season for the Hawkeyes as he alternated between the CASH and strong safety positions. Belton finished tied-fourth nationally with five interceptions last season. Over the course of the 2021 season, Belton registered 46 total tackles, seven pass breakups, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. Belton ended his Hawkeye career with 112 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 17 passes defensed.
Denver would be an interesting landing spot for Belton. The Broncos ranked No. 3 last season in scoring defense, No. 8 in passing defense and No. 15 in rushing defense.
In Reid’s mock draft, he had Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson going No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The rest of Reid’s top-five picks looked like this: Liberty quarterback Malik Willis No. 2 to the Detroit Lions, Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal No. 3 to the Houston Texans, Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux No. 4 to the New York Jets and North Carolina State offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu No. 5 to the New York Giants.
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