These 20 former Iowa high school football players made initial 53-man rosters on NFL teams

It appears there will be a strong Iowa presence in the NFL this season — at least initially.

All 32 NFL teams had to whittle their rosters down to the league-mandated 53 by Tuesday afternoon and after the initial cuts were made, we counted 20 former Iowa high-schoolers on 15 different teams.

Some of the names are well-known — like All-Pro players Tristan Wirfs, from Mount Vernon, and George Kittle, who spent part of his high school career at Iowa City West. Others were surprises, like Dowling Catholic grad Jake Hummel latching on with the Los Angeles Rams, the defending Super Bowl champions.

Here's the full list:

Austin Blythe, Williamsburg

Team: Seattle Seahawks

Position: Offensive Line

Blythe, a former Hawkeye, is now on his fourth NFL team. He was drafted by the Colts in 2016, played for the Rams from 2017-20, then the Chiefs in 2021 and is now projected to be Seattle's starting center. His next start will be the 50th of his NFL career.

Ike Boettger, Cedar Falls

Team: Buffalo Bills

Position: Offensive Line

Boettger is now in his second stint with the Bills and has spent much of his career as a reserve offensive lineman. The Iowa graduate will start the year on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the season. He tore his Achilles in December 2021 in the Bills' 33-21 win over New England.

Spencer Brown, Lenox

Team: Buffalo Bills

Position: Offensive Line

Brown started six games and played in 13 total during his rookie season in 2021. The Northern Iowa grad is projected to start the year in a reserve role, behind starting right tackle David Quessenberry. He allowed one sack over 726 snaps in 2021, according to Pro Football Focus.

Matt Haack, Dowling Catholic

Team: Indianapolis Colts

Position: Punter

Haack is now on his third NFL team. After playing at Arizona State, he was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2017, then signed a three-year contract with Buffalo in 2021. He was cut by the Bills in the preseason but immediately signed a one-year deal with the Colts and is projected to be Indianapolis's starting punter for 2022.

Parker Hesse, Waukon

Team: Atlanta Falcons

Position: Tight End

Hesse went undrafted in 2019 after his college career at Iowa. After signing with Tennessee as a free agent, he switched from defensive line to tight end and spent two seasons on the Titans' practice squad. He latched on with Atlanta last season and ultimately played in eight games, recording five total catches for 43 yards. He's expected to play a bigger role in 2022 after making the initial 53-man roster.

T.J. Hockenson, Chariton

Team: Detroit Lions

Position: Tight End

Hockenson has proven to be one of the NFL's top tight ends since the Lions drafted him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In 40 career games, the former Hawkeye has recorded 160 catches for 1,673 yards and 12 touchdowns all while struggling with some small injuries. The Lions picked up his fifth-year option in April, guaranteeing at least two more years in Detroit.

Jake Hummel, Dowling Catholic

Team: Los Angeles Rams

Position: Linebacker

Hummel, an Iowa State grad, was perhaps a surprise addition after latching on with the Rams as an undrafted free agent. He impressed the coaching staff and front office not only because of his production — 22 tackles in three preseason games, a franchise record — but also because of his versatility, as he'll also contribute on special teams.

Josey Jewell, Decorah

Team: Denver Broncos

Position: Linebacker

Jewell, another former Hawkeye, signed a two-year extension with Denver last March. He started all 16 games in 2020, accumulating 113 total tackles in the process, as well as the first two in 2021 before a pectoral injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. He's projected to resume his role as a starter this year.

Ko Kieft, Sioux Center

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Position: Tight End

Kieft, who went to Minnesota after his prep career at Sioux Center, was Tampa Bay's sixth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. He recorded 12 career receptions and 2 career touchdowns as a Gopher, but is now the Buccaneers' fourth tight end after cutdown day on Tuesday.

George Kittle, Iowa City West

Team: San Francisco 49ers

Position: Tight End

Kittle actually attended three different schools as a high school sophomore: Iowa City West, Cedar Falls, then Norman High School in Oklahoma. At West in 2009, he recorded 3 catches for 44 yards, 14.5 tackles, plus a fumble recovery and interception. He's since grown into arguably the best tight end in the NFL, a two-time All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowl selection, and, in 2020, signed a 5-year, $75 million contract.

More: NFL roster cut tracker recap: Alex Leatherwood, Marlon Mack among players released by deadline

Casey Kreiter, Central DeWitt

Team: New York Giants

Position: Long snapper

Kreiter is entering his eighth year overall in the NFL. The former Hawkeye re-signed with the New York Giants last March after previously playing for the Cowboys, from 2014-15, and Broncos, from 2016-19. He has played in 91 career NFL games and was a 2018 Pro Bowl selection.

Allen Lazard, Urbandale

Team: Green Bay Packers

Position: Wide Receiver

Lazard, one of the all-time best receivers in Iowa State history, is in line for a big season as the Packers' leading pass-catching target. He enters the 2022 season as a projected starter in Green Bay after starting 13 games a year ago. In four years, he's recorded 109 catches for 1,448 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Tyler Linderbaum, Solon

Team: Baltimore Ravens

Position: Offensive Line

Linderbaum, yet another former Hawkeye, was the 25th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft last spring and is projected to be Baltimore's starting center in Week 1. He was a two-time All-American at Iowa, the 2021 Rimington Trophy award-winner, and started all 35 games from 2019-21, during which Iowa went 26-9.

Anthony Nelson, Waukee

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Position: Linebacker

Nelson enters his fourth pro season having played in 42 career games, including four career starts, two of which came in 2021. A fourth-round draft pick in 2019 out of Iowa, he recorded five of his six career sacks last season and is expected to continue contributing on a rotational basis in a deep and talented Tampa Bay front-seven.

Matt Nelson, Cedar Rapids Xavier

Team: Detroit Lions

Position: Offensive Line

Matt Nelson (no relation to Anthony, but also an Iowa grad) has played his entire three-year career in Detroit since signing on as an undrafted free agent. In 2021, he allowed three sacks over 675 snaps, per Pro Football Focus. He's in line to contribute as a reserve in 2022.

Trevor Penning, Newman Catholic

Team: New Orleans Saints

Position: Offensive Line

Penning was the 19th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but the Northern Iowa grad will miss a good portion of his rookie season after suffering an injury during the Saints' final preseason game against the Chargers. An MRI revealed a torn ligament in his foot. He'll undergo surgery and will be out indefinitely.

Christian Rozeboom, Sioux Center

Team: Los Angeles Rams

Position: Linebacker

Rozeboom has had a quiet-yet-eventful NFL journey thus far. After a stellar college career at South Dakota, he signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and spent much of that season on the practice squad. He then went to Kansas City in 2021 and played in one game, then was signed off the Chiefs' practice squad by the Rams later that year and played in nine more games, including Super LVI. He's projected to start the 2022 season backing up 6-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Brandon Scherff, Denison

Team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Position: Offensive Line

Scherff, another Iowa grad, has been an ultra-productive starter since he was drafted 5th overall by Washington in 2015. He was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2020, has been a 5-time Pro Bowl pick, and has started all 89 games he's played. After seven years in Washington, Scherff signed a 3-year, $49.5 million deal with Jacksonville in March.

Andrew Van Ginkel, Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley

Team: Miami Dolphins

Position: Linebacker

A fifth-round draft pick in 2019, Van Ginkel has carved out a productive career thus far with the Dolphins, playing in 39 career games and starting 26. He recorded 71 total tackles last season and has accumulated 134 during his career, as well as a 78-yard fumble-recovery touchdown. He's missed time during the preseason due to an appendectomy but isn't expected to miss much time during the regular season.

Tristan Wirfs, Mount Vernon

Team: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Position: Offensive Line

Wirfs was drafted out of Iowa as the 13th overall pick in 2020 and has started all 33 games during his NFL career. As a rookie, he helped Tampa Bay win Super LV. He followed that up by becoming a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2021. In two years, he's allowed three total sacks in 2,255 career regular-season snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Cody Goodwin covers wrestling and high school sports for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on Twitter at @codygoodwin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: All the Iowa high school football players who made NFL rosters in 2022