Big Ten Preseason Honors Confirm the Hype Around Iowa Football's Next Great Lineman

If you ask anyone who knows a lick about college football, the Iowa Hawkeyes are an assembly line of defensive talent and star tight ends that start in Iowa City and make their way to the NFL each year.

It isn't just those two positions, though. Iowa has become a hotbed for talent in the trenches and enters 2026 with another star primed to become the best at his position in all of college football.

Kade Pieper Earns Big Ten Preseason Honors

With the Big Ten getting ready to go for its fourth consecutive national championship, the 2026 season is going to be determined by the stars in the conference, which there is no shortage of.

The Big Ten released its preseason honors, which include 12 players, and Iowa's offensive lineman Kade Pieper has made the cut as one of the conference's best players.

Pieper is the only offensive lineman in the conference to receive the honors, which speaks volumes to the belief in his talent and continued growth that is expected to come in 2026.

The 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 OL to receive B1G Preseason Honors ➡️ @PieperKade 🏅 pic.twitter.com/qXeCDu2cBe
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) July 28, 2026

Kade Pieper is next up in a long line of great Iowa lineman

The list of Iowa offensive linemen going to the NFL has grown significantly over the last few seasons, with Pieper having every chance to be off the board in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft.

He would join a handful of Iowa offensive linemen hearing their names called in the first round, which has often led to great success at the next level.

Iowa Football NFL Draft History

The Hawkeyes are on a run of offensive linemen turning into stars under offensive line coach George Barnett, with the proof in the pudding of recent NFL drafts.

2026: Logan Jones (C), Gennings Dunker (OT), Beau Stephens (OG)
2025: Mason Richman (OT), Connor Colby (OL)
2022: Tyler Linderbaum (C)
2020: Tristan Wirfs (OT)

That list, since the turn of the decade, includes Tyler Linderbaum and Tristan Wirfs, who have set records for NFL contracts at their respective positions. Also included is a Super Bowl winner in Mason Richman, who won the 2026 Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.

Kade Pieper NFL Draft Stock

Mock drafts are far from a perfect science, especially when the college football season hasn't even seen a single snap yet, but they are telling about the belief in players.

Kade Pieper is receiving first-round buzz as an interior offensive lineman, which isn't common due to the positional value. That said, Pro Football Focus is seeing Pieper off the board in the first round of next year's draft.

Add us as a preferred source on Google