Gennings Dunker Scouting Report

Consistent, tough, and a true displacer in the run game, Gennings Dunker is a guy who consistently produces, despite his physical shortcomings.

Draft Grade: Round 4 - Developmental Traits

Strengths:

Powerful Displacer in Run Game: Dunker’s posture, knee-bend, and vertical drive make him a consistent displacer.

Run Game Fundamentals: Dunker takes great angles and steps. Has a seamless transition from getting to the fit to vertically driving. Consistent body shape in his blocks. Plays with a big, strong base. Does a phenomenal job re-leveraging on into contact and bringing his hips.

Football Character: Strains and fights to finish blocks. Tough. Shows up around the ball. Phenomenal football character and demeanor.

Concerns:

Athletic Profile in Protection: Dunker lacks the necessary range and explosiveness to set out and maintain good body positioning in protection. Can’t stay square and becomes susceptible to inside moves. Constantly playing catch-up.

Lower-Body Fluidity: Lacks the elasticity and fluidity to recover or change direction. Leaves very little room for error as a player. 

Gennings Dunker Summary/Projection:

Gennings Dunker enters the 2026 NFL Draft after progressing through Iowa’s developmental pipeline and becoming a key piece of the Hawkeyes’ offensive front. A former three-star recruit out of Lena-Winslow High School in Illinois, Dunker redshirted in 2021 and made his first career start at right guard in the 2022 Music City Bowl. He shifted to right tackle in 2023 and held that spot throughout the season, then returned in 2024 with 11 more starts while battling a minor injury. Dunker epitomizes the type of lineman Iowa has long produced: tough, battle-tested, and built for the next level.

Dunker is a prime example of doing more with less. At 6'5" and more than 300 pounds, he projects best to the interior due to limited athletic ability. He’s a stiff, waist-bending athlete who lacks the foot quickness, lower-body fluidity, and recoverability required to thrive on the edge in the NFL. These limitations show most prominently in pass protection, where he frequently plays catch-up, loses squareness, and ends up on poor planes vulnerable to inside counters. Without the reactionary athleticism to recover, Dunker’s future is clearly at guard.

What’s fascinating is how those physical deficiencies almost vanish in the run game. While he still lacks change-of-direction ability and elite bend, his fundamentals and technique are outstanding. He’s a polished angle taker who consistently sinks and re-leverages into blocks, maintaining his landmarks while generating steady displacement in both tight and open spaces. His footwork and landmarks are remarkably consistent, and he combines raw power with relentless effort, straining through the whistle on every snap. Dunker embodies the “do more with less” mantra on the offensive line.

While his pass protection remains a concern, Dunker’s character, demeanor, and brute strength give him a legitimate chance to stick at guard. He’ll need refinement in protection, but his floor as a run blocker projects as an NFL starter. If he can continue to dominate in the run game while improving as a pass protector, he’s a Day 3 value pick with upside to become a dependable, long-term piece on the interior.