Johnathan Babineaux began his career at Iowa primarily as a reserve fullback as a freshman in 2000. A broken leg in spring practice the following year sidelined Babineaux for the entire season. He was awarded a medical redshirt for that season, giving him an extra year of eligibility. He had a breakout season in 2002, recording 53 tackles, seven sacks and an interception in eleven starts at defensive end. He moved over to defensive tackle in 2003 and started seven games before suffering a knee injury which sidelined him for the rest of the season. He came back with a strong senior campaign, racking up 55 tackles and eleven sacks. Babineaux finished his career in outstanding fashion with seven tackles and three sacks against the LSU Tigers in the Captial One Bowl. He doesn't have ideal size for the defensive tackle position, but he makes up for his lack of size with his speed and quickness. He was timed at 4.83 seconds in the 40 at the combine, one of the better times among all defensive linemen. If he fails to beat an opponent off the snap of the ball with his speed, he can get manhandled at times. He would benefit from increasing his strength so he can better fight off blocks of some of the lager guards in the NFL. He has the speed and athleticism to be an effective pass rusher or chase the running back down from behind in the backfield. Babineaux is a bit of a DE/DT "Tweener". Where he plays in the NFL will most likely depend on what team drafts him. He would be an ideal candidate to play defensive end in a 3-4 defensive scheme, but he will most likely be a one-gap defensive tackle in a 4-3. His injury history should be a cause for concern. He missed nearly a year and a half of action in college due to injury. He should still be a first day pick and he could go as high as the second round but the injury problems will most likely push him back to round three in April's draft.