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Notre Dame Football: Top 10 Players of the Brian Kelly Era

By Jack Leniart

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 07: Jaylon Smith #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates by wearing the hat of team mascot, Lucky The Leprechaun, following their 42-30 win against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field on November 7, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 07: Jaylon Smith #9 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates by wearing the hat of team mascot, Lucky The Leprechaun, following their 42-30 win against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Heinz Field on November 7, 2015 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame football
SOUTH BEND, IN – OCTOBER 19: Nick Martin #72 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish prepares to the snap the ball against the University of Southern California Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium on October 19, 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated USC 14-10. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

10. Nick Martin, OG

The second Martin brother to shine on the Irish offensive line. Hey, that rhymes. Hey, that also rhymes. Despite following in the footsteps of his older brother, Nick made a name for himself during his career at Notre Dame.

Martin earned a starting spot leading up to the magical 2012 season. Over the next four seasons, he started in every game except for two. That was result of a late-season knee injury in 2013.

Martin was named a team captain in both the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He entered the 2016 NFL Draft and was selected by the Houston Texans in the second round.

Notre Dame football
SOUTH BEND, IN – SEPTEMBER 06: Isaac Rochell #90 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish rushes against Mason Cole #52 of the Michigan Wolverines at Notre Dame Stadium on September 6, 2014 in South Bend, Indiana. Notre Dame defeated Michigan 31-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

9. Isaac Rochell, DT

Rochell was selected the lowest in the NFL Draft amongst the players on this list. I don’t think that’s a result of his talent level. I believe that was a result of his size and playing style.

He was considered by scouts to be too small to play defensive tackle and too big to play defensive end. However, his frame and style made him a versatile player in college.

Rochell earned playing time as a freshman at Notre Dame — appearing in 11 games in 2013. He became a starter the following season and played in every game through the end of 2016, when he served as a team captain.

He was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

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