Notre Dame Football: Best Case, Worst Case for Position Groups

SOUTH BEND, IN - OCTOBER 21: Drue Tranquill #23 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates with teammates after recovering a fumbled punt in the second quarter of a game against the USC Trojans at Notre Dame Stadium on October 21, 2017 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

5 of 8

Notre Dame football /

Defensive Line

Best: The defensive line wreaks havoc on everyone if faces. Jerry Tillery finally puts it all together with an All-American season that leads to him being a top 15 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Daelin Hayes’ improved strength and conditioning lead to season in which he improves on 3.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. Jonathan Bonner stays solid on the line and continues to get pressure on the opposing quarterbacks. New starter Khalid Kareem explodes on the scene, chasing down 10 sacks by season’s end. Kareem makes it known that he will be “the guy” on defense going forward. Incredible depth from Julian Okwara, Myron Tagovailoia-Amosa, Kurt Hinish and Micah Dew-Treadway make this one of the most special defensive lines South Bend has seen in years.

Worst: With all of the talent, depth and experience back this year, there’s no way the defensive line isn’t at least as good as they were last year. The loss of Jay Hayes as a transfer may be difficult to cope with for a bit after he played in all 13 games last season, but once Kareem is up to speed — which shouldn’t take long — the defensive line should be at worst, good.

Home/Notre Dame Football