Cowboys Named Perfect NFL Draft Destination for Iowa Star

The Dallas Cowboys could be the perfect fit for this Iowa Hawkeyes star in the NFL Draft.

Iowa State’s Darien Porter (10) shakes hands with Iow’s Jay Higgins (34) and Luke Lachey (85) after the coin toss at the CyHawk game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024 at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. | Julia Hansen/Iowa City Press-Citizen / USA TODAY NETWORK

Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Jay Higgins will hear his name called at some point during the NFL Draft in April, and the general consensus is that it will probably be sometime on Day 3.

Nevertheless, Higgins is absolutely expected to get drafted, and John Blair of NFL Mocks has identified a perfect fit for the Iowa star: the Dallas Cowboys.

"Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars and Dallas Cowboys would be ideal fits, as both could benefit from his intelligence, zone coverage skills, and ability to contribute on special teams," Blair wrote.

Not only that, but the Cowboys could lose linebacker Eric Kendricks to free agency, meaning there would be a potential spot open for Higgins to win the job in training camp.

Higgins is coming off of a brilliant 2024 campaign in which he rattled off 124 tackles, a sack, four interceptions, a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He earned the Butkus-Fitzgerald Big Ten Linebacker of the Year award for his efforts.

The 6-foot-2, 227-pound defender arrived at Iowa in 2020, but did not begin earning significant playing time until 2023.

That season, Higgins broke out by racking up 171 stops, a couple of sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

While Higgins is a bit limited in terms of his physical tools and athleticism, he has an incredible motor and a very high football IQ that could play out well on the NFL level.

And if he lands with the Cowboys, he would obviously be in the spotlight.