Hawkeyes in the NFL: Week One Top Performers
The opening weekend of the NFL season is complete, with George Kittle and the 49ers picking up a win over the Jets on Monday Night. 28 former Hawkeyes were on active rosters for week one, while 15 players were in the starting lineup.
Honorable Mention Performers
LB Jack Campbell – 7 tkls, 1 tfl vs Los Angeles Rams
LB Josey Jewell – 7 tkls vs New Orleans
DB Amani Hooker – 6 tkls, 1 QBH vs Chicago
1. Chicago P Tory Taylor
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Tory Taylor is good at punting footballs. It doesn’t matter if it’s Ryan Field in Evanston, Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City or Soldier Field for his NFL debut, Tory is going to kick some bombs.
In the Bears win over Tennessee, Taylor booted six punts for 270 yards (45.0 avg), including three punts inside the 20 yard line. He had two punts of 50+ yards and was one of seven punters to have a 60-yard punt. The first of many great punting days ahead for Tory.
2. Denver CB Riley Moss
A core muscle injury set Riley Moss back during his rookie season last year and he was limited to just 25 defensive snaps for the Broncos. He earned his first career start on Sunday and led Denver with 12 tackles and a tackle for loss in their loss to Seattle.
In 54 career games at Iowa, Moss did not record double-digit tackles in a single game. His 12 tackles were the most by a corner during week one and the second-most by a defensive back.
3. Detroit TE Sam LaPorta
Sam LaPorta had one of, if not the best rookie seasons by a tight end in NFL history last year. He set the NFL record for most catches in a season by a rookie tight end (86), became the first rookie tight end to total 70 catches, 700 yards and eight touchdowns in a season and led all tight ends in fantasy points.
In the opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night, LaPorta caught four passes for 45 yards. He had an 18-yard reception on the Lions game-tying touchdown drive to send the game to overtime. Expect to see Sam on this list almost every single week.
4. Tampa Bay OT Tristan Wirfs
Since Tristan Wirfs entered the league as a rookie in 2020, he has been one of the best offensive tackles. Per PFF, Wirfs has ranked 9th, 6th, 8th and 7th-best amongst all tackles in the league over his first four seasons.
Tristan played all 68 snaps for the Buccaneers in the opener, allowing just one quarterback pressure on 38 pass blocking snaps. He helped pave the way for Baker Mayfield who put up 289 passing yards and four touchdowns in the Bucs win over Minnesota. His 83.6 pass blocking grade ranked 10th amongst offensive tackles, while his 77.3 overall grade ranked 13th out of [ ] tackles for week one.
5. San Francisco TE George Kittle
The top big play threat tight end in the NFL, George Kittle led all tight ends last season averaging 15.7 yards per reception. He ranked 12th in the NFL in yards per reception and was the only tight end to rank in the top 40 in that category.
Kittle didn’t have one of those big play touchdowns on Monday against the Jets, but he did have four catches for 40 yards in the 49ers win. His 26-yard reception late in the first half helped San Francisco kickstart a field goal drive that put them up two scores at halftime.
