Iowa State Cyclones Star Seen as Top 10 Player at Position for NFL Draft

Which Iowa State Cyclones star could be an impact player taken in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Nov 8, 2025; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; The Iowa State Cyclones mascot poses for a photo during the game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Amon G. Carter Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

As the Iowa State Cyclones seek to rebuild their program following the departure of Matt Campbell to the Penn State Nittany Lions, one of their best players from 2025 will be heading to the next level. 

It has undoubtedly been a busy couple of months for the Cyclones. With a new era set to begin under Jimmy Rogers, he and the coaching staff have been working overtime trying to navigate the transfer portal and also recruiting since being hired. 

Rogers has seemingly done a very good job in the portal, and Iowa State will have a plethora of depth as they try to compete in 2026. However, while the new head coach has brought in a lot of new talent, they have lost a lot as well. While a good amount of that talent has entered the transfer portal, one key player on the defensive side of the ball will be entering the NFL Draft. 

The Bleacher Report scouting department recently wrote about Cyclones’ star defensive lineman Domonique Orange being a Top 100 player and a 10 Top player among all defensive linemen. 

Orange Projecting to be an Impact Player 

Iowa State Cyclones defensive lineman Domonique Orange | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Coming into the 2025 campaign, one of the top players for Iowa State was their star defensive lineman. Orange was predicted to be one of the top defenders in the Big 12 entering his senior season, and while he played well, he might not have been as dominant as the program would have hoped. 

Early on in the season, the talented defensive lineman was being projected as a first-round talent. However, he slipped up a bit as the year went on and now has seemingly settled into a third-round talent. 

For a defensive lineman, that is still a fine place to be drafted, and there is a lot to like about his game. The 6’4”, 325-pound Orange has the size to play in the middle right away in the NFL and be a productive run stopper. With the Cyclones, he wasn’t much of a pass-rusher with just one sack in his career, but that wasn’t something that was asked or expected of him. 

Facing double-teams quite frequently; Orange might not have been able to put up some of the stats that other defensive linemen in the country were able to at the collegiate level. However, he is still highly regarded as a Top 10 player at the position and could be a great value add for a team in the middle rounds.