Slap the Sign
Fansided

The Best Notre Dame Football Player Taken In Each Round of the NFL Draft

By Connor McJunkin

9 JAN 1994: TIM BROWN OF THE LOS ANGELES RAIDERS WITH HELMET ALOFT LEAVES THE FIELD AFTER THE RAIDERS DEFEATED THE DENVER BRONCOS 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello/ALLSPORT
9 JAN 1994: TIM BROWN OF THE LOS ANGELES RAIDERS WITH HELMET ALOFT LEAVES THE FIELD AFTER THE RAIDERS DEFEATED THE DENVER BRONCOS 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Al Bello/ALLSPORT /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 8
Next
ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: A video board displays an image of Jaire Alexander of Louisville after he was picked #18 overall by the Green Bay Packers during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – APRIL 26: A video board displays an image of Jaire Alexander of Louisville after he was picked #18 overall by the Green Bay Packers during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Round 2: The Ghost

With the more recent success Notre Dame has had at the tight end position, sometimes it feels like the old school players like Dave Casper are forgotten. Although he only recorded 21 receptions for 335 yards and four touchdowns in his Irish career, Casper was a second round pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 1974 NFL Draft, selected 45th overall.

After only registering nine catches in his first two seasons, Casper finally burst onto the scene in 1976, registering 53 receptions, 691 yards, and 10 touchdowns on the way to being selected to his first Pro Bowl, being name a First Team All-Pro, and winning a Super Bowl with the Raiders.

Over the course of the next two seasons, Casper stamped his name on two of the most iconic plays in Raider and NFL history. His 42-yard reception during the 1977 Divisional Round game vs the Colts set up the game-tying field goal that forced overtime, a play Raider quarterback Ken Stabler named “The Ghost to the Post.” Fittingly, Casper scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime as well.

Casper’s five TD’s during the 1977 postseason is an NFL record for tight ends that still stands today.

The next season, trailing the Chargers 20-14 with less than ten seconds left, quarterback Ken Stabler seemed to have intentionally fumbled and batted the ball forward to avoid a sack before running back Pete Banaszak picked the ball up and did the same, all ending in Casper recovering the ball in the endzone for a touchdown. Appropriately named the “Holly Roller,” it is one of the wildest endings to an NFL game in history.

After playing on a few other teams before retiring in 1984, “The Ghost” finished his career with as solid of a resume as one could have:

  • Five time Pro Bowler
  • Four time First Team All-Pro
  • Member of the 1970s NFL All-Decade Team
  • 378 receptions
  • 5,216 yards
  • 52 touchdowns

In 2002, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Honorable Mention: Ricky Watters – the second round, 45th overall selection in the 1991 NFL Draft is one of just two NFL running backs to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season for three teams. His five Pro Bowls, three First Team All-Pro selections, 14,927 total yards, and 91 total touchdowns make him one of the most decorated players that has yet to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. 

Home/nfl draft