The 2026 NFL Combine featured some notable performances.
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Sonny Styles, Eli Stowers and Taylen Green impressed with their dazzling displays on the artificial turf at Lucas Oil Stadium over the weekend. On Sunday, another luminary took the stage and made her mark in a completely different way.
Iowa offensive lineman Gennings Dunker was one of the nation’s top talents during his final two years of college. During Sunday’s combine session, the 22-year-old entered the conversation of the most interesting man in the draft class, becoming a media darling after a captivating 40-yard dash that saw his hair dance in the wind.
It wasn’t the first time Dunker made a splash on the draft circuit. Weeks earlier, he went viral for an interview with NFL Network during the Senior Bowl. During that talk, Dunker waxed lyrical about his love of coffee, specifically Culver’s.
So who is the man behind the hairstyle? And what are Dunker’s real prospects in the NFL?Advertisement
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Who is Gennings Dunker?
Dunker is a 22-year-old offensive tackle who starred at Iowa. Originally from Des Moines and raised in the Iowa State territory, Dunker starred at Lena-Winslow High School in Lena, Illinois, earning three stars in the process, according to 247 Sports. After redshirting as a freshman, the 6-foot-5, 315-pound lineman appeared in 12 games in 2022.
He emerged as a starter in 2023, starting all 13 of the Hawkeyes’ games at right tackle. He proceeded to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2024 and first-team All-Big Ten honors in 2025, emerging as one of the best offensive linemen in the country during his final two years in Iowa City.
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Gennings Dunker Mullet
Dunker is perhaps best known for his mullet, which flutters in the wind as he roams the countryside. She shows off fiery hair wrapped in an amber tint. It goes very well with his mustache, which is equally distinctive.
Dunker combs his hair for a simple reason. He believes it will help him get to the NFL.
“I copied (former Iowa guard Connor) Colby because he had a season without one, a season with one. You know, he played a lot better with it,” Dunker told The Daily Iowan in 2025. “There’s a correlation.”
Colby was selected by the 49ers in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Dunker appears likely to join him in the professional ranks, with most mock drafts listing him as a Day 2 prospect. He enjoyed a strong performance at the 2026 Senior Bowl and continued his exploits with a spirited performance at the Combine on March 1.
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Gennings Dunker Draft Projection
Dunker was not listed in TSN’s Vinnie Iyer’s latest mock draft, released after the first run of the draft combine drills. Other publications consider him a late first or early second round pick, with NBC Sports’ Kyle Dvorchak pegging Dunker as the 29th overall pick by the Rams in their post-Super Bowl mock draft.
IYER:Latest NFL mock draft after the Combine
Gennings Dunker NFL Combine Results
Here’s a look at Dunker’s performance at the 2026 NFL Combine.
|
Height |
Weight |
hand size |
arm length |
40 yard dash |
vertical jump |
Long jump |
|
6’5 |
319 pounds |
10″ |
33 1/2″ |
5.18 |
Dunker’s 40-yard dash was especially notable, with his nest-shaped hair blowing in the warm Lucas Oil Stadium breeze.
FURTHER:Why is the NFL Combine always in Indianapolis?
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Gennings Dunker Iowa Highlights
Dunker captivated the crowd during his time at Kinnick Stadium. Here’s a look at her best moments in black and gold.
Where is Gennings Dunker from?
Dunker is a native of Des Moines and grew up just a stone’s throw from Iowa State’s campus. Despite their proximity to the school, their family was Hawkeyes through and through.
“We take family pictures and (I wear) Hawkeye t-shirts and stuff,” Dunker said. “I got a picture of me and my little brothers wearing Hawkeye t-shirts.”
Dunker moved in with Lena when he was a child. There were no youth leagues in his hometown, so as a child he took his talents to nearby Dakota. There, he gravitated toward the trenches, finding his footing as he crashed into opposing defenders. It started as a hobby, but it soon became an obsession, an obsession that followed him as he transformed from the skinny 6’1 freshman who entered the halls of Lena-Winslow to the 6’4, 240-pound talent who wowed audiences as a junior.
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FURTHER:Inside the NFL Combine records