Cyclones agree to deals after draft

AMES, Iowa – Three Iowa State players have agreed to free agent and rookie camp deals with NFL teams following the draft.

Defensive end MJ Anderson signed a free agent deal with the Seattle Seahawks, while offensive lineman Trevor Downing signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Linebacker O’Rien Vance received a rookie camp invite from the New York Giants.

MJ Anderson – Defensive End – Seattle Seahawks

Anderson, a St. Louis, Missouri, native, transferred to Iowa State after spending three seasons at Minnesota and had his most productive collegiate season with the Cyclones.

In his lone season in Ames, Anderson played in 12 games, making five starts. He finished the season with 37 tackles and finished tied for second on the team with 3.5 sacks. He tallied 9.0 tackles for a loss and had a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry.

In the season finale against TCU, Anderson tallied a season-high eight tackles.

Trevor Downing – Offensive Lineman – Pittsburgh Steelers

Downing, a Creston, Iowa, native, made 38 career starts for the Cyclones, including the last 13 games of his career at center. He earned Second Team All-Big 12 accolades in 2022, his first full season at center.

In total, Downing earned three All-Big 12 honors, taking home first team honors in 2021 and honorable mention accolades in 2019.

Downing was a freshman All-American in 2019.

O’Rien Vance – Linebacker – New York Giants

Vance, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native, made 44 career starts for the Cyclones and finished with 255 tackles. He is ninth in school history with 32.0 tackles for a loss and 10th all-time at IS with 13.5 sacks. Vance also had five fumble recovers, three forced fumbles and a pair of pass breakups.

Vance earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2019 and 2022. He was PlayStation Fiesta Bowl Defensive MVP against Oregon in 2020, finishing with four tackles, a TFL and two fumble recoveries.