Josey Jewell Selected by Denver in 4th Round of NFL Draft

Hawk Talk Monthly — April 2018 | I-Club Events Page | Sign Up For Season Tickets | NFL Draft Central

ARLINGTON, Texas — University of Iowa senior linebacker Josey Jewell was selected by the Denver Broncos with the sixth pick of the fourth round of Saturday’s NFL Draft. Jewell was the 106th player picked overall.
 
Jewell, a native of Decorah, Iowa, is the first Hawkeye linebacker drafted since Christian Kirksey and Anthony Hitchens were selected in 2014.  Jewell is the eighth linebacker and 66th Hawkeye overall selected under head coach Kirk Ferentz.
 
Jewell started all 12 games in which he played in 2017, missing one game due to injury. He led the Big Ten and ranked fourth nationally in tackles with 136 tackles. He ranks fourth in career tackles (437) and is just the third Hawkeye ever to record more than 115 tackles in three different seasons.
 
Jewell earned unanimous consensus All-America honors, and was the recipient of the 2017 Lott IMPACT Trophy and Jack Lambert Award. He was the Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year and the Linebacker of the Year while earning first team All-Big Ten honors.
 
Jewell was one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and a semifinalist for the Bednarik and Butkus awards. Jewell in 2015 became the only sophomore under Kirk Ferentz to be named a permanent team captain, earning that recognition three straight seasons.
 
Jewell, a native of Decorah, also excelled in the classroom throughout his career.  He carried a 3.25 GPA and earned his bachelor’s degree in Enterprise Leadership. He earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition for the third straight year as a senior and was recognized by the National Football Foundation as a member of the Hampshire Honor Society. 
 
Over the past four seasons Jewell helped the Hawkeyes post a 35-18 overall record while participating in four straight bowl games, including the 2016 Rose Bowl Game, 2017 Outback Bowl and 2017 Pinstripe Bowl. Iowa won the Big Ten West Division and played in the league championship game in Indianapolis in 2015.
 
Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL Draft since 1978. He is the third Hawkeye selected in the draft, joining James Daniels (Chicago) and Josh Jackson (Green Bay).
                                                                                                       
The Broncos placed fourth in the AFC West Division in 2017, finishing the season with a 5-11 record.