Hawkeyes with three selected in 2014 NFL Draft
Posted on 10. May, 2014 by admin in Iowa Football
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
On the third and final day of the 2014 NFL Draft, Iowa’s draft class increased by one.
After tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz and linebacker Christian Kirksey were both taken in the third round on Friday, linebacker Anthony Hitchens was picked in the fourth round Saturday when the Dallas Cowboys used the 119th overall selection on him. Hitchens is the first Iowa player drafted by the Cowboys since 1984, when Dallas drafted both running back Norm Granger and offensive guard Joe Levelis.
During an interview with the Cowboys’ radio network, Hitchens said he was surprised the Cowboys drafted him because his only encounter with them during the process came at the NFL Combine last February. He also said how his agent told him he would “probably” be a sixth-round pick.
“It was a just a sit-down meeting,” Hitchens said about his interactions with Dallas. “One of the scouts drew up their defense. I just had to draw Xs and Os for them and then give them a little bio about myself and my background, things like that.”
Hitchens received the phone call from Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and also got a chance to speak with head coach Jason Garrett, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and linebackers coach Matt Eberflus. When asked about what attracted Dallas to Hitchens, Eberflus made mention of the things that stood out on game tape.
“If you turn on the tape, the first thing you’ll see is striking ability,” Eberflus said during an interview with the Cowboys’ radio network. “He has a really good ability to time his blows when he’s going to strike a runner. He knocks people back, has turn-around tackles, and that’s something that we need on this defense.”
Eberflus also went on to rave about Hitchens’ field instincts and said that which linebacker spot he plays at hasn’t been determined yet. Hitchens played weak-side linebacker at Iowa, but the Cowboys think he can play at either MIKE or strong-side if need be. They also have high expectations for Hitchens on special teams, as Eberflus said he could be a “core” special teams player from Day One.
2014 NFL DRAFT:
Round 3 (65th overall) — C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Houston Texans
Round 3 (71st overall) — Christian Kirksey, LB, Cleveland Browns
Round 4 (119th overall) — Anthony Hitchens, LB, Dallas Cowboys
UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS:
James Morris, LB, New England Patriots
Brett Van Sloten, OT, Baltimore Ravens
Casey Kreiter, LS, Dallas Cowboys
Tanner Miller, FS, Green Bay Packers
Conor Boffeli, OG, Minnesota Vikings
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