IOWA CITY, Iowa — In his lifetime as a football evaluator, Bill Polian built three NFL franchises that earned a combined six Super Bowl trips and contended annually for titles.



A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Polian now hosts an NFL show on SiriusXM. One afternoon, Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs — a likely first-round pick in this draft — was a topic of discussion. At Indianapolis, Polian drafted two Iowa players, tight end Dallas Clark and safety Bob Sanders, who were instrumental in turning the Colts into Super Bowl champions. In his first draft as Buffalo Bills general manager in 1986, Polian’s initial selection was Hawkeyes running back Ronnie Harmon.



So when Polian spent a radio segment touting Wirfs, it was based as much on past experience with Iowa products as the tackle’s athletic prowess.



“When you get a player from Iowa, no matter what the skill level, you know he’s completely ready for the NFL,”...