Iowa State football: See which former Cyclones players stood out in Week 5 of NFL season

Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season is in the books, and several former Iowa State football players had huge hands in their teams' performances.

The collection of ex- Cyclones in the NFL continues to grow, with several more added to rosters this season after having around a dozen consistently active last season. While the star-studded names like Brock Purdy, Breece Hall, Allen Lazard and David Montgomery continue to shine week after week, several others Iowa State fans will recognize are making significant impacts at the pro level too.

With that, here are a few ex-Cyclones who stood out in Week 5 of the NFL season.

Charlie Kolar, Baltimore Ravens TE

Hard to know what was the more impressive performance: what Kolar did in Sunday's crazy overtime win over the Cincinnati Bengals, or what he said after the victory,

We'll start with the stats, and the former Iowa State tight end put up plenty. Kolar finished the crazy 41-38 win with three catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, punctuated by a 55-yard grab that generated easily the best quote of the day.

"They get so focused on (fellow tight ends) Mark (Andrews) and Isaiah (Likely), they forget about the fat white guy running down the seam," Kolar told reporters after the game.

Sunday marked just the third time in his three-year NFL career that Kolar finished with multiple receptions in a game.

Will McDonald IV, New York Jets DE

The former Iowa State standout has a new boss as of Tuesday morning, after the New York Jets fired Robert Saleh amid a 2-3 start with tons of offensive woes. McDonald and the Jets, defense, though, is still pulling its weight.

After racking up zero tackles last week for the first time this season, McDonald responded Sunday with his sixth sack of the year in New York's 23-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He's already doubled the output there from his rookie campaign.

Overall, this marks the most sacks McDonald has had at any level since his menacing 2021 season in Ames, where the ex-Cyclone amassed 11.5 sacks over 13 games.

Allen Lazard, New York Jets WR

While Aaron Rodgers and company have been marred by inconsistency to start, it's clear Lazard's role is large in getting the New York Jets going. Sunday's stat line offered a microcosm of the struggles.

For just the fourth time in his NFL career and the first time since Christmas 2022, Lazard got double-digit targets in a game (10). However, Rodgers and the former Iowa State wide receiver only connected on four of them. That led to 34 receiving yards, but also a TD right before the half that cut into a 17-0 deficit.

Where the Jets go from here will be a prevalent NFL story in the weeks ahead. Lazard is right in the middle of the action, no matter which way it goes.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State football: See which former Cyclones players stood out in Week 5 of NFL season