These former Iowa State football players will begin the 2023 NFL season on active rosters
With the NFL's opening night barely a week away, all 32 teams are finalizing their rosters in preparation for the campaign ahead.
Ten former Cyclones will start the season on active rosters, many of whom were forgone conclusions to do so. But there were still some intriguing adds, most notably two late-round rookies who will begin the year active.
Here's a rundown of every former Iowa State player on active rosters. Names are listed in alphabetical order by last name.
1. Breece Hall, New York Jets RB
One of three former Cyclones wearing Jet green this year, Hall is entering his second season with New York after going in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Hall will look to build on a nice rookie year cut short by a torn ACL.
2. Jake Hummel, Los Angeles Rams LB
Hummel is entering his second season with the Los Angeles Rams after signing with them as an undrafted free agent before last season. Hummel highlighted the preseason with a pick-six against the Las Vegas Raiders.
3. Xavier Hutchinson, Houston Texans WR
A sixth-round pick by Houston back in April, Hutchinson delivered a nice preseason to make the active roster. He hauled in six catches for 70 yards over three games.
4. Anthony Johnson, Green Bay Packers CB
Johnson may have been an active-roster longshot after going in the seventh round to the Green Bay Packers, but this NFL rookie delivered a nice preseason to achieve exactly that.
5. Charlie Kolar, Baltimore Ravens TE
Kolar is entering his second season after going to the Baltimore Ravens in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Kolar had four catches for 49 yards last season, but he more than doubled that this preseason with eight receptions for 120 yards.
6. Allen Lazard, New York Jets WR
One of Iowa State's best undrafted-free-agent stories ever, Lazard is entering his sixth season and first with the New York Jets. He'll look to continue his chemistry with Aaron Rodgers after both were brought over from Green Bay this offseason.
7. Will McDonald, New York Jets DE
After going 15th overall to the Jets in April, McDonald looks ready for a solid rookie campaign. No doubt, there will be a pocket of New York fans in Ames this season.
8. David Montgomery, Detroit Lions RB
Montgomery is entering his fifth season and first with the Detroit Lions after spending his first four with the Chicago Bears. The former third-round pick has rushed for at least 800 yards each year of his career.
9. Kene Nwangwu, Minnesota Vikings RB
Nwangwu is entering his third season after the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Nwangwu has morphed into a special-teams weapon with three career kick-return touchdowns.
10. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers QB
Purdy carries the highest expectations of anyone on this list, as he enters his second season as the San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback after guiding the team in relief last year. Purdy has seemingly recovered well from offseason elbow surgery to fix an injury suffered in the NFC title game.
Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Former Iowa State Cyclones will begin NFL season on active rosters
