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
4 of 8
Next
Joe Montana #16, Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to running back #33 Roger Craig during the National Football League Super Bowl XVIII game against the Cincinnati Bengals on 22 January 1989 at the Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida, United States. The 49ers won the game 20 – 16. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images)
Joe Montana #16, Quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers hands the ball off to running back #33 Roger Craig during the National Football League Super Bowl XVIII game against the Cincinnati Bengals on 22 January 1989 at the Joe Robbie Stadium, Miami, Florida, United States. The 49ers won the game 20 – 16. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images) /

Round 3: The GOAT

I’ll try my best to keep this section as short and sweet as possible.

Largely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, Joe Montana was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 82nd pick in round three of the 1979 draft. After being relatively inactive his rookie season, Montana took over as the starting quarterback midway through the 1980 season, and the rest is history.

Montana would go on to lead the Bill Walsh dynasty to four Super Bowl victories and three Super Bowl MVPs. Along the course of his career he also racked up eight Pro Bowls, three First Team Al-Pro selections, two league MVPs, the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award in 1989, and a 117-47 record as a starter.

Though many of his career passing statistics have been surpassed by the great quarterbacks of the more modern, pass-happy NFL we know today, many of Montana’s post-season accomplishments still stand among the best to ever do it.

His 12 postseason games with a passer rating over 100.0 is still a record today. Montana is second in career postseason touchdown passes (45), passing yards (5,772) and games with 300+ passing yards. He completed 83 of 122 passes for 1,142 yards and 11 touchdowns with no interceptions, earning him a Super Bowl record passer rating of 127.8. Montana also holds the Super Bowl record for most pass attempts (122) without throwing an interception.

It’s almost irrelevant based on everything that was just said, but here’s a look at his final career statistics:

  • Passing Yards: 40,551
  • Passing Touchdowns: 273
  • Completion Percentage: 63.2%
  • Passer Rating: 92.3
  • Rushing Yards: 1,676
  • Rushing Touchdowns: 20

Without a doubt, if there was a Mount Rushmore of NFL quarterbacks, Joe Montana would be on it. He was Tom Brady before Tom Brady. In 2000, Montana fittingly became a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Honorable Mention: Allen Pinkett – This is obviously a very, very distant honorable mention, but Pinkett put together a solid career after being taken with the 61st overall pick in the 1986 draft. One of Notre Dame’s all-time running back greats, Pinkett would go on to play six seasons in the NFL, racking up 2,324 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on the ground, and 921 yards with 5 touchdowns through the air. 

Home/nfl draft