The rest of his article highlights Minnesota teammates Justin Walley (DB), Max Brosmer (QB), Cody Lindenberg (LB), Daniel Jackson (WR) and Jah Joyner (DL), as well as Apple Valley’s and Marshall’s own Bilhal Kone and Yahya Black, who finished college strongly at Western Michigan and Iowa, respectively.
Krammer noted Kone took the long route: The former do-it-all Apple Valley star played at Iowa Central Community College and FCS Indiana State before emerging the past two years at Western Michigan, where he had 18 passes defensed. His NFL.com draft profile projects him as a fourth-round pick Saturday.
At the combine, Kone ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, which tied for 10th at his position. Black didn’t test well relative to other d-linemen, but his 35-inch arms were among the DL’s best, per Krammer.
The 23-year-old Black played five seasons at Iowa and augmented his production in his final two, posting 85 tackles, including 12 for a loss, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and seven passes defended since 2023.
Lindenberg may be the most familiar as he grew from Anoka to leading Minnesota in tackles in 2024. He was one of four Gophers players invited to the Senior Bowl (also Ersery, Joyner and DL Danny Striggow).
Read Krammer’s full story here.