Who is Gennings Dunker? Meet the mullet-clad Iowa OT known for crushing blocks and flowing locks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The 2026 NFL Combine featured a fair few notable performances.
Sonny Styles, Eli Stowers and Taylen Green all impressed with dazzling showcases atop the artificial Lucas Oil Stadium turf over the weekend. On Sunday, another luminary came to the stage, making his mark in an entirely different way.
Iowa offensive lineman Gennings Dunker was one of the country’s finest trench talents during his final two years of college. During Sunday’s combine session, the 22-year-old thrust himself into the conversation of draft class’ most interesting man, becoming a media darling following a captivating 40-yard dash that saw his hair dance in the wind.
It wasn’t the first time Dunker made waves on the draft circuit. Weeks earlier, he went viral for an interview with NFL Network during the Senior Bowl. During that chat, Dunker waxed lyrical about his love for coffee — specifically from Culver’s.
So, just who is the man behind the hairdo? And what are Dunker’s actual NFL prospects?
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Who is Gennings Dunker?
Dunker is a 22-year-old offensive tackle who starred at Iowa. A Des Moines native who grew up in Iowa State territory, Dunker starred at Lena-Winslow High School in Lena, Illinois, earning three-star billing in the process, per 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’ contests 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 nation’s finest offensive linemen across his final two years in Iowa City.
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Gennings Dunker mullet
Dunker is perhaps best known for his mullet, which billows in the wind as he makes his way down the field. He sports a fiery mane cloaked in an amber tint. It pairs nicely with his mustache, which is similarly distinctive.
Dunker dons his coiffure for a simple reason. He believes it will help him make it to the NFL.
“I did copy [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 seems likely to join him in the professional ranks, with most mock drafts listing him as a Day 2 prospect. He enjoyed a strong showing at the 2026 Senior Bowl and continued his exploits with a spirited showing at the Combine on March 1.
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Gennings Dunker draft projection
Dunker was not listed on TSN’s Vinnie Iyer’s latest mock draft, published after the first run of draft combine drills. Other publications fancy him to be a late-first or early-second-round selection, with NBC Sports’ Kyle Dvorchak pegging Dunker to be selected No. 29 overall by the Rams in his post-Super Bowl mock draft.
IYER:Latest post-Combine NFL Mock Draft
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 |
Broad jump |
|
6’5 |
319 lbs |
10″ |
33 1/2″ |
5.18 |
Dunker’s 40-yard dash proved especially notable, with his nest-like hair wafting in the warm Lucas Oil Stadium breeze.
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Gennings Dunker Iowa highlights
Dunker captivated audiences during his time at Kinnick Stadium. Here’s a look back at his finest moments in black-and-gold.
Where is Gennings Dunker from?
Dunker hails from Des Moines, growing up a stone’s throw from Iowa State’s campus. Despite his proximity to the school, his family was Hawkeyes through and through.
“We took family photos and [I’m wearing] Hawkeye shirts and stuff,” Dunker said. “I got a picture of me and my little brothers wearing Hawkeye shirts.”
Dunker moved to Lena as a child. There were no youth leagues in his hometown, so he took his talents to nearby Dakota as a child. There, he gravitated to the trenches, finding his footing while crashing into opposition defenders. It started as a hobby but soon became an obsession, one which followed him as he morphed from the spindly 6’1 freshman who entered into Lena-Winslow’s halls to the 6’4, 240-pound talent who captivated audiences as a junior.
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