Defensive lineman Logan Lee selected by Pittsburgh Steelers in sixth round of NFL Draft
Noah Shannon, Joe Evans, Steve Stilinanos land free-agent deals
IOWA CITY, Iowa – Defensive lineman Logan Lee became the the fourth Iowa Hawkeye to be selected in the 2024 NFL draft as the Pittsburgh Steelers picked him in the sixth round on Saturday, and with the 178th pick overall.
Lee joins defensive back Cooper DeJean, (Philadelphia, Rd. 2); tight end Erick All, (Cincinnati, Rd. 4); and punter Tory Taylor, (Chicago, Rd. 4) as former Iowa players that were selected in this year’s draft
Lee was a three-year starter for Iowa at defensive tackle.
He led all the Iowa defensive linemen with 55 tackles last season as a senior.
The Orion, Illinois native also had three sacks and three pass break-ups last season.
“We got another piece of the puzzle,” Steelers defensive line coach Karl Dunbar said shortly after the pick was made Saturday to TribLIVE.com. “I think Logan Lee brings a lot of good things to the table. He’s got size, got length and can do a lot of different things.
“It think he fits the Steelers’ mold.”
And while Lee will be switching uniforms, the change won’t look that different as the Iowa football team has patterned its black and gold uniform after the Pittsburgh Steelers since Hayden Fry started coaching the Hawkeyes in 1979.
Lee was a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten honoree (2022 & 2023). He also served on the Player Council three times.
Lee started 41 of 43 games as a Hawkeye, totaling 158 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and seven pass break-ups. Lee led all Hawkeye defensive linemen with 55 tackles last season. Starting all 14 games at defensive tackle in 2023, he totaled 5.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, three pass break-ups and blocked a field goal.
Lee is the 89th Iowa player to be selected in the NFL draft under Kirk Ferentz dating back to 2000, and the 17th defensive linemen.
Lee was also the second player picked in the sixth round on Saturday.
Lee had the distinction of being the only player on the 2023 Iowa team who is married.
He and his wife are now headed to Pittsburgh to start the next chapter in their lives.
Meanwhile, former Iowa defensive linemen Noah Shannon and Joe Evans both agreed to free-agent deals with the Las Vegas Raiders and Baltimore Ravens, respectively, on Saturday.
Shannon was a multi-year starter for Iowa at defensive tackle, but missed the entire 2023 season while serving a suspension for wagering on sports.
Evans, a former walk-on from Ames, was also multi-year starter for Iowa at defensive end. He led Iowa with 13.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries last season.
Former Iowa tight end Steve Stilianos also landed a free agent deal with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday.
Stilianos joined the Iowa program in 2022 as a graduate transfer. He played for Lafayette University from 2018 to 2021.