Beau Stephens OG Iowa |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #70 SUB-POSITION: Left Guard | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 5.35 seconds (42%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 23.9 DOB: 11/01/2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
SHARE THIS PROFILE:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jersey: #70 | |
| SUB-POSITION: Left Guard | |
| Last Updated: 03/23/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 5.35 seconds (42%*) | |
| Age: 23.9 DOB: 11/01/2002 | |
|
SHARE THIS PROFILE:
|
| Overall Rating: | 82.4 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
|
78% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Pass Blocking: |
|
91% |
| Run Blocking: |
|
82% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
5th
Overall Rank:
#156
Position rank:
#31 (OL)
|
||
| College Games: 41 College Snaps: 1764 | ||
ESPN RATING: 77/100
|
||
247 RATING: 90/100
|
||
|
RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
|
||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Marquis Hayes - Oklahoma |
|
85% |
| Zak Zinter - Michigan |
|
80% |
| Dylan Fairchild - Georgia |
|
79% |
Drafted: ROUND: 5 - Pick Number: 148 (SEA)
Draft Profile: Bio
Five-year letterman, two-way lineman, wrestler, basketball player, and team captain from sophomore year on at Blue Springs High School in Missouri. Beau Stephens did all of it before the recruiting services weighed in: 247Sports tagged him as a four-star prospect with a 0.90 grade, Rivals gave him four stars and a 5.8 rating, and though ESPN was less enthusiastic at three stars, the consensus was clear enough to land him in Iowa City as part of the 2021 class. As a senior he earned All-Conference honors on both sides of the ball, racking up 19 tackles with seven for loss and a sack while also anchoring the offensive front.Stephens redshirted in 2021 before earning the starting right guard job as a redshirt freshman in 2022, starting 10 games. That first year of real action was bumpy. He dealt with inconsistency, penalties, and some rough outings in pass protection that you'd expect from a young interior lineman learning on the fly. Then 2023 dealt him a tough hand. An injury limited him to just five games and 70 snaps, effectively wiping out an entire developmental season. He came back in 2024 and reclaimed the starting left guard spot for 12 games, earning the team's Comeback Player of the Year award and helping Iowa's ground game average nearly 200 yards per contest, the program's best mark since 2002.
The 2025 season is where Stephens put it all together. He started all 13 games at left guard and was named a first-team AP All-American, first-team All-Big Ten by coaches, and helped Iowa's offensive line win the Joe Moore Award. He was the highest-graded guard in a power conference according to Pro Football Focus. The unit paved the way for five games with 200-plus rushing yards, including a 310-yard explosion against UAlbany and a 245-yard performance in a statement win over Penn State. Iowa was one of only two programs to place two offensive players on the AP first team, with Stephens joining center Logan Jones. In total, Stephens leaves Iowa City with 34 career starts, 1,764 offensive snaps, and a decorated final chapter that turned him from an under-the-radar interior lineman into a legitimate NFL draft prospect.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Fires off the snap with violent intent on combination blocks, generating real pop on his second and third steps to uproot defenders at the point of attack.
- Owns a nasty snatch-trap counter that flips the leverage battle when rushers try to walk him back with a bull rush or long-arm technique.
- Rarely beaten through his chest in pass protection thanks to a sturdy natural anchor that lets him absorb and re-set against power.
- Timing and assignment consistency in the run game grade out among the best in this guard class, with very few missed fits or blown calls on tape.
- Plays with a chippy, physical edge that shows up in his finishing effort; he wants to put people on the ground and plays through the whistle.
- Core and upper body strength allow him to latch onto three-techniques, torque them sideways, and steer them completely out of run lanes.
- Comfortable climbing to the second level with enough speed for his size, and he takes smart angles to arrive at linebackers with force.
- Remarkably clean penalty sheet over his final two seasons, showing the kind of discipline and body control that coaches trust in critical situations.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Below-average arm length for the position limits his ability to control defenders at range and forces him to win with body positioning instead.
- Bends at the waist rather than the knees in pass sets, which exposes him to swim moves and leaves his pads too high for leverage battles.
- Lateral agility and mirror ability are just okay; quicker interior rushers with counter moves can win the edge before he redirects his feet.
- Gets caught lunging and overextending into blocks in the run game, which lets defenders slip off his grasp at the worst possible moment.
- Injury history is a legitimate flag, with missed time in 2022, a lost 2023 season, two missed games in 2024, and dinged-up exits in 2025.
Scouting Report: Summary
What you see with Stephens is a guard whose 2025 tape is dramatically better than anything he put on film before it. That kind of jump, from a guy who was solidly average as a sophomore and missed most of his junior year, to a first-team All-American and the top-graded power conference guard in the country, is hard to ignore. The question every team will wrestle with is whether they're drafting the 2025 version or getting someone closer to the 2022-2024 model. Film says the growth is real, rooted in improved hand placement, better timing, and a meaner demeanor at the point of attack. But the athletic limitations that were there before haven't gone anywhere.Stephens fits best in a scheme that leans on inside zone and gap concepts where he can use his size, power, and straight-line movement to dominate at the first level. He has enough foot speed to pull and enough awareness to climb, so he is not limited to a phone-booth role, but asking him to consistently mirror explosive pass rushers on an island is where you start seeing his ceiling. His anchor is legitimately good, and that snatch-trap counter gives him a real weapon against power, but twitchier rushers who can change direction will create problems. A team that runs a lot of duo, power, and inside zone will get the best out of him.
The floor here is a dependable backup guard who can step in without the offense falling apart, and the ceiling is a solid starter on a line that doesn't ask him to be the most athletic guy in the room. His pass protection efficiency numbers in 2025 were outstanding, and his ability to move people in the run game is the kind of trait that translates directly to the NFL. There is real value in a guard who knows his assignments, plays with toughness, and keeps the penalty flags in the official's pocket. The durability concerns and athletic profile temper the excitement, but Stephens has earned his shot to compete for a starting job at the next level.
Beau Stephens percentiles vs other Offensive Guards (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Beau Stephens (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
140.3
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
35.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.