Former Iowa football great receives high praise in latest ESPN ranking

Iowa football is known for developing strong offensive linemen and one of their former greats received lofty praise from ESPN.

Iowa football is best known for a couple of things: a strong defense, consistency at head coach and developing elite offensive linemen.

Throughout the Kirk Ferentz era, Hawkeye fans have been treated to so many great offensive linemen from Brandon Scherff to Riley Reiff to James Daniels and Tyler Linderbaum. Numerous former Hawkeye lineman have entered the NFL and seen immense success. One of the shining examples of this is Tristan Wirfs.

Wirfs enjoyed a great career in Iowa City, including being named to the first-team All-Big Ten team after his junior season in 2019. He declared for the 2020 NFL Draft after that and was taken by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 13th overall pick in the first round. And he's more than lived up to his draft position, with a recent ESPN article showing how respected Wirfs is around the league.

Where does Wirfs rank in ESPN's top 10 offensive tackles?

Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (78) at the line of scrimmage against the Kansas City Chiefsduring the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

ESPN continued their top ten players at every position on Sunday when they released the top offensive tackles in the league, according to various scouts, coaches and executives in the NFL. Jeremy Fowler, a veteran NFL writer, put the article together and the league made their thoughts on Wirfs very clear. They ranked him as the best offensive tackle in the entire NFL.

Wirfs earning first-team All-Pro honors at left and right tackle is an incredible feat. No other player in NFL history has done that. Perhaps even more impressive: Wirfs did so in his second NFL season of playing each position (2021, 2024), showing a Doogie Howser level of quick learning.

ESPN Research attributed two sacks to Wirfs, an impressive number for a left tackle. His 95.9 pass block win rate led all tackles.

"He doesn't have the flashy plays that Sewell has, but everything is so easy to him," an NFC executive said. "He can handle whatever you want out there and won't look particularly stressed doing it. Rare combination of size and athleticism."

Wirfs' work on the left side helped the Bucs' offense rank third in total offense (399.5 yards per game). Wirfs is the game's highest-paid tackle at $28.125 million per year. - Fowler

As the article mentioned, Wirfs is the first player in NFL history to have a first-team All-Pro nod at both left and right tackle, which is an incredible feat. His versatility to play at either tackle spot elevates him above the competition and makes him an elite player in the league.

And at only 26 years old, Wirfs still has a lot of time left to continue to add to his career accomplishments. He has a Super Bowl win, two first-team All-Pros, one second-team All-Pro and four Pro Bowl nods already. When it's all said and done, Wirfs could easily find his way onto the Mount Rushmore of Iowa offensive lineman in the league.

Hawkeye fans will get the chance to watch two more potential NFL draft picks in 2025 in Logan Jones and Gennings Dunker. Both of them will look for strong 2025 seasons and the chance to join Wirfs in the NFL.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Former Iowa football great receives high praise in latest ESPN ranking

Category: General Sports