April 27, 2008
IOWA CITY — Linebacker Mike Humpal became the third Iowa Hawkeye to see his name appear on ESPN’s live coverage of the 2008 NFL Draft Sunday when he was the 188th player selected overall as a sixth round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Humpal joins defensive back Charles Godfrey and defensive lineman Kenny Iwebema as Hawkeyes selected in this year’s annual draft of the top college football players by the NFL. Godfrey was a third round pick of the Carolina Panthers and Iwebema was a fourth round selection of the Arizona Cardinals, a pick that reunites him with his former coach at the UI, Ron Aiken.
Humpal, a native of New Hampton, Iowa, paced Iowa with 123 tackles in 2007, a total that included 46 solo tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack. Also outstanding as a pass defender, Humpal also grabbed three interceptions and broke up two passes last season.
He was named honorable mention all-Big Ten by the Big Ten’s coaches and media, and second-team all-Big Ten by Rivals.com. He also earned academic all-Big Ten honors.
The 2008 NFL Draft is the 31st in a row in which at least one student-athlete of the University of Iowa was selected and given the opportunity to pursue a professional career.
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