Iowa State Football Star Goes to Chiefs in NFL Mock Draft

The Iowa State Cyclones football team is going to look vastly different in 2026 than it did when the 2025 season came to an end.

Easily the biggest change of the offseason was Jimmy Rogers taking over as head coach for Matt Campbell, who accepted the head coaching job with the Penn State Nittany Lions. After his departure, virtually the entire roster was turned over.

Rogers and his staff did a wonderful job filling the team for 2026, bringing players from the Washington State Cougars and being active in the transfer portal. However, arguably the toughest player to replace isn’t one who was in the transfer portal at all.

Defensive tackle Dominique Orange is preparing for life after Iowa State, very likely as an NFL player. In a recent NFL mock draft done by Matt Miller of ESPN, he lands with the Kansas City Chiefs with the No. 74 overall pick, the 10th selection in the third round, making him a Day 2 selection.

Domonique Orange lands with Chiefs in latest NFL mock draft

Iowa State Cyclones' defensive lineman Domonique Orange reacting after play. — Iowa State Cyclones' defensive line Domonique Orange (95) celebrates after a stop BYU offense during the first quarter at Jack Trice Stadium on Oct. 25, 2025, in Ames, Iowa. | Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“The Chiefs signed 30-year-old Khyiris Tonga to work alongside 32-year-old Chris Jones, meaning youth is needed. Orange is a solid nose tackle at 6-foot-2 and 322 pounds, and he can be an anchor in the middle of the line and provide push on third downs,” Miller wrote.

Viewed as the best nose tackle in this year’s draft class, Orange is capable of helping out a defense immediately on early downs. He is a mountain of a man, measuring in at 6-foot-4 and 325 pounds.

His statistics don’t jump off the page as a player who is worth drafting, recording only nine total tackles this past season and zero sacks. But his presence on the field makes life easier for his teammates around him.

Former Iowa State DT Domonique Orange, who suffered a quad strain early in the pre-draft training process, will work out for NFL scouts April 7 on campus.

“Big Citrus” is 6-4, 325 and was a mainstay on @BruceFeldmanCFB’s Freaks List. He’ll test at 100%.

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— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 22, 2026

Orange is a space eater who can make life miserable for opponents in the trenches. His combination of size, strength and athleticism makes him a handful to block, requiring double and triple teams.

While his stats don’t insinuate that he offers much pass-rushing upside, his tape and some underlying numbers would suggest otherwise. Despite it not being his No. 1 task, Orange did record 13 total pressures in 2025, which was tied for fifth on the team with linebacker Kooper Ebel.

He had 10 hurries and three quarterback hits. There is certainly some pass-rushing upside that could be unlocked at the next level; at the very least, he can be a disruptor, collapsing the pocket from the middle of the defensive line.