Best New Orleans Saints Draft Choices From FBS Schools: Iowa

Who is the best player the New Orleans Saints ever drafted from the Iowa Hawkeyes?

From May 1 until the start of the 2016 NFL season on September 11, we’re going to list the best players that the Saints ever drafted from all 128 FBS schools, as of 2015.

Of course, there are a number of schools, including Air Force, Appalachian St., Arizona, Army, Baylor, Boise St., Bowling Green, Buffalo, Central Florida, Central Michigan, East Carolina, FAU, FIU, Hawaii, and South Alabama, in which the Saints have never drafted a player.

Yesterday, we looked at the best player the Saints ever drafted from Indiana.

Today, we spotlight the best player the Saints ever drafted from Iowa.

When it comes to selecting the best player the Saints ever drafted from Iowa, the choice is limited to offensive lineman Joel Hilgenberg (1984), and tight end Austin Wheatley (2000).

The pick is going to be Hilgenberg, an offensive lineman, who played 10 years for the Saints, from 1984-1993.

After playing his college football at Iowa, Hilgenberg was drafted by the Saints in the fourth round of the 1984 NFL Draft.

A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Hilgenberg was a backup center in his first three years with the Saints, before taking over as the starting center prior to the 1987 season.

With the exception of the 1988 season, when he started at right guard, Hilgenberg remained the starting center for the Saints through the 1993 season, after which he retired.

In ten years with the Saints, including the 1992 season, when he was named to the Pro Bowl, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Hilgenberg played in 142 games for the Saints, 97 as a starter.