Steelers, Iowa football fans react as Gennings Dunker heads to the Steel City
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Another Iowa football star is off the draft boards and won't need to change colors as the Pittsburgh Steelers selected offensive lineman Gennings Dunker with the No. 96 overall draft pick in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Dunker is the second Hawkeye to be selected during Friday's Day 2 festivities along the banks of the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Penn., with the Chicago Bears picking center Logan Jones in the second round at No. 57 overall. Interestingly, Dunker is now the fourth Hawkeye to be chosen by the Steelers in the past three NFL Drafts.
With the rugged and foundational 6-foot-5, 319-pounder remaining in the Black and Gold color scheme in the Steel City, here are some of the best social media reactions from both Steelers and Hawkeyes fans to Dunker's draft selection:
Best pick we’ve made, dudes a beast— Guy Stud (@Guy_Stud420) April 25, 2026
"A mauler with a mullet" - @MoveTheSticks
This may be @richeisen's favorite pick of the draft 😂 pic.twitter.com/ARrImvxZDy— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) April 25, 2026
Back in the Black & Gold @gennings_dunker ➡️ @steelers#NFLHawks x #NFLDraftpic.twitter.com/SrnIFMP5Ra— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) April 25, 2026
All the validation I needed pic.twitter.com/veNCAa4LJr— Not IW FormaL (@SkinnyFormal) April 25, 2026
At 6’5”, 315 pounds of pure Iowa corn-fed chaos, this offensive tackle doesn’t just block defenders — he distracts them with a mullet so glorious it has its own zip code and a mustache that even Tom Sellick would bow down to.
He’s part Viking, part ’80s rock god, part guy who… pic.twitter.com/SDIHHexkyQ— ✨Joe✨ (@JoeSteelerFan) April 25, 2026
YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DRAFT STEAL!!!! pic.twitter.com/MDQInx1Abe— Emperor Penguin (@EmperorPenguln) April 25, 2026
Gennings Dunker and his mullet are headed to the Steelers 😅
NFL Draft on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/rML12jxDA9— NFL (@NFL) April 25, 2026
The kid is a mauler. Great pick!— David (@DavidRaymondW) April 25, 2026
The mullet was made for Sundays ⚫️🟡@gennings_dunker x @steelerspic.twitter.com/chWBWGcoAe— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) April 25, 2026
Built for the Steel City 💪@gennings_dunker x @steelerspic.twitter.com/BtfFkh9Wpr— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) April 25, 2026
This man has the potential to be the greatest man of all time. pic.twitter.com/YdxB8nrBNX— UrinatingTree (@UrinatingTree) April 25, 2026
Daniel Jeremiah rated Gennings Dunker as the 63rd best player in the draft.
Mel Kiper Jr had him as the 72nd best player in the draft.
And the Steelers got him with pick 96.
That's excellent value.— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 25, 2026
Gennings Dunker is the 4th (!!) Iowa Hawkeye drafted by the Steelers in the last three (3) NFL Drafts.
Of the 19 total picks Pittsburgh has made since 2024…
Four (4!) have come from Iowa. https://t.co/nWiDzALTuZpic.twitter.com/nZWF94qS5f— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) April 25, 2026
Bold take: I think there's a better chance Gennings Dunker starts week 1 than Max Ihenachor.— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) April 25, 2026
Gennings Dunker was born to be a Steeler.
Love this move, and to get him at 96 is unreal value.— Josh Carney (@ByJoshCarney) April 25, 2026
The @steelers just got a lot NASTIER inside with Gennings Dunker out of Iowa. 6’5” 319lbs of raw power and nasty disposition. His 38 starts comes with leadership and a lineman who can help this offense dictate the flow of the game for the next decade.#NFLDraft#RG3#OuttaPocket… pic.twitter.com/LNxl9xT7OW— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) April 25, 2026
Newest Steelers draft pick Gennings Dunker tossing bales of hay 12 feet in the air 😂😂
Real Steeler https://t.co/ZHb08jX86v— PickensBurgh 🫡 (@PickensBurgh) April 25, 2026
Shocked Gennings Dunker almost fell out of Day 2, but the Steelers are getting a terrific player.
That mullet will look very good in Pittsburgh.— Brad Schultz (@BradMSchultz) April 25, 2026
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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Steelers, Iowa football fans react as Gennings Dunker heads to the Steel City
