Iowa may not be known for producing the best football players in the country, but the state has produced a number of players who have gone on to memorable careers in the NFL.
Iowa has been the birthplace of some notable American football stars, from Super Bowl winners to Pro Football Hall of Famers and beyond, with several current players, such as Joe Burrow, Brandon Scherff and Tristan Wirfs, expected to join that list in the coming years.
But as of the start of the 2024 season, here is a list of the top five NFL players of all time born in Iowa:
Note: This list is based solely on a player's performance in the NFL and does not take into account their college success.
more:The 5 best NFL players to ever come from Iowa State football
Kurt Warner (QB, 1998-2009)
Warner's story is so notoriously improbable that it was even made into the 2021 biographical sports film American Underdog.
But before Warner rose to fame for his journey from grocery bagger at Hy-Vee to Super Bowl MVP, he was born in Burlington in 1971 and played football at Regis High School in Cedar Rapids.
Warner then played at the University of Northern Iowa, where he primarily sat on the bench before being named the Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a senior in 1993. He went undrafted in the 1994 NFL Draft, but had a brief stint with the Green Bay Packers before being released prior to the start of the season.
After spending time bagging groceries in Cedar Falls and working as a graduate assistant for UNI football, Warner again took to the field in Iowa with the Barnstormers of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1995 to 1997. A pair of first-team All-Arena performances, coupled with a league-leading passing season in 1998 while playing for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, earned Warner a spot on the St. Louis Rams' third-string in 1998.
When starter and fellow Iowa product Trent Green tore his ACL in the preseason prior to the 1999 season, Warner was given the opportunity to start and made the most of it, winning regular season MVP and leading the Rams to Super Bowl 34. Warner's MVP-worthy performance saw the team win the Super Bowl.
Warner also won regular season MVP in 2001, but the team lost in the Super Bowl to a young Tom Brady and the New England Patriots that year.
Injuries and poor performances subsequently derailed Warner's professional career, but after one season with the New York Giants in 2004, he signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2005. With the Cardinals, Warner enjoyed a late-career resurgence, earning a Pro Bowl selection in 2008 and appearing in the Super Bowl.
He retired after the 2009 season and has since worked for NFL broadcasts and various media platforms.
Warner is the only Iowa native inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He finished his career with three Super Bowl appearances, one championship and MVP, two regular season MVPs, two first team All-Pro honors and four Pro Bowl appearances.
Marshal Yanda (G, 1997-2008)
Yanda was born in Cedar Rapids and attended Anamosa High School, where he excelled in football, basketball and track and field.
A two-time All-Conference Football selection, Yanda's talents earned him a spot on the Northern Iowa Area Community College team before transferring to the Iowa Hokies in 2006. With the Hokies, he was named Third Team All-American by NFL Draft Report and received Second Team All-Big Ten honors from the conference coaches.
Yanda was selected by the Baltimore Ravens with the 86th pick in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft and played his entire 13-year career with the franchise, primarily at right guard but also at tackle.
He started 166 of 177 career games and played 14 more in the playoffs. He was part of the 2012 Super Bowl-winning team, right in Yanda's prime. From 2011 through his final season in 2019, Yanda was selected to the Pro Bowl in all but one season. A broken ankle in 2017 limited him to just two games.
Yanda has also been named to the All-Pro team seven times, including consecutive first-team selections in 2014 and 2015.
Yanda's numerous accolades and consistent elite play led to him being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's All-Team of the 2010s and he will be eligible for individual Hall of Fame balloting beginning in 2025.
Jay Hilgenberg (C, 1981-93)
Jay Hilgenberg is an Iowan through and through.
Jay was born in Iowa City in 1959, the son of former Iowa Hawkeye football player Jerry Hilgenberg, and played on the Hawkeye roster in the late 1970s before joining the Chicago Bears in 1981.
The Bears signed Jay to bolster their offensive line, featuring one of the greatest running backs of all time in Walter Payton, and although Jay didn't become a starter until 1983, he developed into a central figure for an ever-improving team that transformed into a powerhouse franchise by the mid-1980s.
Jay was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time during Chicago's legendary 1985 season, culminating in a Super Bowl victory, and was selected to the honor for seven consecutive seasons through 1991. Jay was also a four-time All-Pro nominee, including consecutive first-team selections in 1988 and 1989.
He spent his final two years playing for the Cleveland Browns in 1992 and the New Orleans Saints in 1993, during which he was teammates with his older brother, Joel.
Jay has been a potential Pro Football Hall of Fame candidate for several years and currently works as a game analyst for WBBM-AM radio in Chicago and the Bears Radio Network.
Trent Green (QB, 1997-2008)
Green is also from Cedar Rapids, but he didn't actually grow up in Iowa.
He began his football career in St. Louis, Missouri, before his talent led him to Indiana University, where he pitched for just 5,400 yards, 23 touchdowns and 31 interceptions in four seasons with the Hoosiers, but was still drafted in the eighth round, 222nd overall, by the San Diego Chargers in the 1993 NFL Draft.
His pro career got off to a slow start — he didn't play at all as a rookie with San Diego and was released by the CFL's British Columbia Lions in 1994. Green threw his first NFL pass in 1997 as a 27-year-old with Washington.
In 1998, he started 14 games and recorded a 6-8 record with 3,441 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. His breakout season led to him signing a four-year, $17.5 million contract with his hometown St. Louis Rams, but a knee injury during the 1999 preseason forced him to miss the entire season, with Warner taking over as manager and leading the Rams to a Super Bowl victory.
With Warner injured in 2000, Green started five games for St. Louis, scoring 16 touchdowns and generally solid play, leading the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire him in a trade in 2001.
Now 31 years old, Green has finally found consistency in the NFL. From 2001-05, Green started every game for Kansas City and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2003 and 2005. During that time, Green averaged 4,023 yards, 22 touchdowns and 15 interceptions while leading the team to a 44-36 record.
But severe concussions in 2006 and 2007 derailed the aging starter's career, and after stints with the Miami Dolphins (2007) and again with the Rams (2008), Green retired before the 2009 season.
After his playing career, Green worked in football broadcasting.
Bryce Pope (LB, 1990-2000)
Paup may not have had the longevity of some of the other Iowa natives on this list, but it's hard to ignore the Jefferson native's prime years.
After a successful amateur career at Scranton High School and the University of Northern Iowa, Pope was selected in the sixth round, 159th overall, by the Green Bay Packers in the 1990 NFL Draft.
He got off to a slow start with the franchise, recording just one tackle as a rookie, but gradually earned increased playing time over the next four seasons.
By 1993, Pope was a full-time starter in Green Bay. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 1994, a season in which he recorded a career-high three interceptions, including the only defensive touchdown of his career.
But after signing with the Buffalo Bills in 1995, Pope's career soared. That season, he recorded career highs in sacks (17.5), total tackles (89) and forced fumbles (3) while earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors, All-Pro First Team and Pro Bowl honors.
Paup would go on to make two Pro Bowl appearances, but he wasn't an elite player when he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1998. He played two seasons with the team before finishing his career as a role player with the Minnesota Vikings in 2000.
After his playing career, Paup went into coaching and is currently the assistant head coach at UNI.
Gus Martin is digital producer/content director for the Des Moines Register. Follow him on X. translator.
