Analyzing How Each Hawkeye Fits In The New NFL Homes

Tristan Wirfs – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

• Round 1, Pick 13

Tampa Bay didn’t draft Wirfs as a project; the Buccaneers took him to immediately step in and protect Tom Brady.

Tampa Bay already has its starting left tackle in Donovan Smith, who started all but one game over the past five seasons. The Buccaneers let right tackle Demar Dotson walk in free agency, opening up a new starting slot for Wirfs. And while Tampa Bay did sign offensive tackle Joe Haeg this offseason, it’s a signing geared more toward depth rather than immediate help. He appeared in all 16 games for Indianapolis last season, but never started.

Point being, Wirfs is going to be a part of Tampa Bay’s starting offensive line from Day One. He’s a plug-and-play talent the Buccaneers needed in their Super-Bowl-or-bust quest.

A.J. Epenesa – Buffalo Bills

• Round 2, Pick 54

Many football fans couldn’t believe Epenesa slid to the second round, but the Bills sure aren’t upset.

By drafting Epenesa, Buffalo’s defensive line is oozing with potential for 2020. Epenesa joins Trent Murphy and Jerry Hughes at defensive end, and the Bills boast Oliver at defensive tackle. Buffalo lost Jordan Phillips and Shaw Lawson this offseason. The pair combined for 16 sacks last season, and ranked first and second, respectively, individually on the team.

Epenesa won’t automatically be handed a starting position; he’s going to battle Murphy and Hughes – two experienced and proven ends – for playing time. But defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier could easily mix in sub packages and ignite a three-man rotation to keep all ends fresh. Don’t be surprised if by the end of the year, Epenesa has his grasp on one of the starting positions. Epenesa is great at getting to the quarterback, and that’s exactly why Buffalo drafted him.

It’s not a bad situation at all for Epenesa. He’ll get plenty of playing time off the bat and will have plenty of help surrounding him.

Michael Ojemudia – Denver Broncos

• Round 3, Pick 77

After taking two speedy wideouts in Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler with its first two picks in the draft, Denver opted to counter in the secondary, nabbing Ojemudia in the third round.

The Broncos’ selection comes after Chris Harris left for the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency. They did, however, sign A.J. Bouye, Jacksonville’s quality cornerback. But that leaves the second starting corner position up for grabs.

Isaac Yiadom will likely be the top candidate for the position, as he started eight games last season, securing 43 tackles and defending four passes. Duke Dawson Jr. also started three games at corner last season, defending two passes.

Unlike Wirfs and Epenesa, Ojemudia will have a harder time gunning for a starting position, but he’s in the mix for the spot opposite Bouye. It's a

Geno Stone – Baltimore Ravens

• Round 7, Pick 219

Stone joins a Baltimore defense that comes off of a stellar 2019 campaign. The Ravens ranked third in points allowed per game (17.6), fifth in rushing yards allowed per game (93.4), and sixth in passing yards allowed per game (207.2). The Ravens tied for seventh in the league with 25 takeaways last season.

The addition of Stone gives the Ravens depth in their secondary. He possesses great football instincts and can defend the run well.

Baltimore already has Earl Thomas manning the free safety position. Stone would likely be gunning for the strong safety spot, but as for now, he’ll be behind Chuck Clark, who started 12 games last season and totaled 73 tackles.

It’s not a bad position to be in, where he can learn under one of the best safeties in the league in Thomas. Stone's time will come.

Nate Stanley – Minnesota Vikings

• Round 7, Pick 244

Stanley is not coming in to take Kirk Cousins job, let’s be clear. But he’ll be in the mix for his backup.

Minnesota doesn’t have great quarterback depth. With Cousins as the starter and Stanley on the roster, the other signal callers are Sean Mannion and Jake Browning. It’s not likely Minnesota keeps four quarterbacks on its active roster, so Stanley will be fighting for second or third string.

It won’t be easy, but he’ll have a shot; if Minnesota loved its backup quarterback situation, it wouldn’t have taken Stanley. He’s got a cannon for an arm and has great size. Accuracy will be one area he’ll need to show improvement.

Undrafted free agents

Kristian Welch – Baltimore Ravens

The linebacker joins Stone as the second Hawkeye from the 2020 class on the Raven roster.

Baltimore drafted LSU linebacker Patrick Queen with its first-round selection and then took Ohio State’s Malik Harrison in the third round. Queen will likely snag one of the Ravens’ four starting linebacker spots on their 3-4 defense, and Harrison will be in the mix as well, if not for a backup spot.

He'll potentially have a spot at a backup spot, though. Otaro Alaka stands as the second-team left inside linebacker, but he's essentially unproven. If Welch lands a spot, it'll be that one. He's also going to be in the mix for a special teams role, too.

Nate Wieting – Cleveland Browns

Cleveland picked up the tight end as an undrafted free agent.

The Browns were in the market for a tight end this offseason, and they signed Austin Hooper to a four-year, $44 million contract. Throw David Njoku, who has hurt for most of last season, into the mix, and Wieting will have a hard time seeing the field from Day One. Cleveland also took Mackey Award winner Harrison Bryant in the fourth round of the draft.

If Wieting can stick around, he’ll look for a special-teams role, barring injuries. But at this point, he’s on the outside looking in.

Cedrick Lattimore – Seattle Seahawks

Lattimore, a defensive tackle, might have the best shot of sticking around out of any Iowa undrafted free agent.

Seattle needs depth at defensive tackle. The Seahawks took Tennessee's Darrell Taylor in the second round and Syracuse's Alton Robinson in the fifth, but both players are better suited as ends.

The Seahawks' starting tackles look to be Poona Ford and Jarran Reed, and that's pretty much where the experience drops off. There are two other tackles currently on the Seattle roster: Demarcus Christmas and Byran Mone. Christmas hasn't played in an NFL game and Mone (mainly a practice-squad player) appeared in just four last season. Throw in the fact that Al Woods, who started five games last year, signed with Jacksonville this offseason, and there's a definite needs for help at defensive tackle.

The two backup tackle spots in Seattle's 4-3 defense are going to be up for grabs, and there's a solid chance Lattimore gets one. He'll also be fighting with fellow undrafted free agent DT Marcus Webb out of Troy.