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Notre Dame Football: Can Malik Zaire find his way to the NFL Draft?

By Noah Strackbein

Oct 15, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (9) is pressured by Stanford Cardinal defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (66) in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Stanford won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 15, 2016; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Malik Zaire (9) is pressured by Stanford Cardinal defensive tackle Harrison Phillips (66) in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Stanford won 17-10. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Notre Dame football lost a quarterback they were hoping would start in 2017, but with his departure, his dream at the NFL may have also taken a blow.

Must Read: Zaire has three options to transfer

Malik Zaire wasn’t headed to the NFL as a backup at Notre Dame. But after DeShone Kizer decided to go pro a year early, Zaire’s door flew open. He chose not to take it, though, deciding to transfer as a graduate to another program – Wisconsin, Texas, Florida, or Harvard.

Of those schools, questions have arisen as to whether or not he’ll earn a starting job at Wisconsin and Texas if Florida will be able to accept him due to SEC regulations, and if Harvard was an actual choice. The question people are forgetting to ask is if any of these schools can get him drafted?

Honestly, yes, but not at the schools you’d think of. Florida would get Zaire drafted. As a prominent SEC program, the Gators have all the exposure and opposing talent the quarterback would need to catch the attention of NFL scouts. As the assumed starter, Zaire would flourish at Florida, giving him a strong chance to make it to the league.

Surprisingly, Wisconsin and Texas aren’t getting Zaire to the NFL. No matter which school he attends out of the two, he’ll have to either split time or compete for the starting job. In Wisconsin, Alex Hornibrook is the future. Whether that means the Badgers wants to have him share time with Zaire or simply compete for the best quarterback is uncertain. Either way, though, it doesn’t look promising for the grad transfer.

Texas is a complete no go. Shane Buechele is the quarterback for the Longhorns no questions asked. Zaire wouldn’t win a quarterback competition or split time. All he’d do in Texas is sit on the bench and waste his final year of eligibility.

His next best option outside of Florida is Harvard. Yes, that’s right, Harvard. Somewhere where he won’t get a ton of exposure but has the skills to absolutely dominate the Ivy League.

He’d step into the program and immediately win the quarterback job. As long as he has one of the best seasons Harvard has ever seen, something that can honestly be expected, Zaire will find himself heading to the NFL Draft.

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If Ryan Fitzpatrick can do it, so can Zaire. He’ll have a Music City Bowl MVP and a historic season at Harvard under his belt. That’s a resume that isn’t first-round draft pick worthy but will definitely get you a chance in the pros.

Florida and Harvard – not your typical NFL producers, but certainly the best bets for Malik Zaire’s future.

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