Northern Iowa safety Deiondre’ Hall is the highest rated Iowa college player heading into tonight’s (Thursday night’s) start of the NFL Draft in Chicago. Hall was the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and is ranked as the eighth best safety in the draft according to CBSsports.com.

Hall is one of two Panthers who are projected to be taken in the draft. If both get drafted it would be the second year in a row that UNI had two players selected in the draft. Hall and Makinton Dorleant hope to join the ever growing list of former UNI players who made it to the NFL.

Iowa tight end Henry Krieger-Coble and center Austin Blythe are projected as sixth or seventh round selections.

(Learfield Sports)