Mock Draft Watch: Notre Dame Football’s Defensive Ends Projected as First-Rounders in 2020
By J.P. Scott
Two different NFL Mock Drafts have a Notre Dame football defensive end being selected in the first round in 2020.
The 2020 NFL Draft is just about 11 months away, but that does not mean we can’t take a peek at a couple of mock drafts just to see where certain experts have some notable Notre Dame football prospects being selected.
Two sites that have published 2020 NFL Mock Drafts are Walterfootball.com and CBSSports.com.
Walt Cherepinsky, the president of Walter Football, has Notre Dame defensive end Khalid Kareem being selected No. 25 overall by what will be the Las Vegas Raiders. Kareem makes a lot of sense for the Raiders, as he would give Jon Gruden’s club another much-needed pass rusher.
Over at CBSSports.com, analyst Will Brinson has the New York Giants taking Irish defensive end Julian Okwara with the No. 10 overall pick. Okwara will probably play as a traditional edge rusher out of a two-point stance at the next level. It would make sense for the Giants to grab a guy with his skill set, given how they let Kentucky’s Josh Allen slip past them in this year’s draft in favor of selecting Duke quarterback Daniel Jones.
The variance between the two mock drafts illustrates the general inconsistency of mocks across the board. They are rarely accurate, especially this far out. That said, the fact that two different draft analysts from two different publications seem to think that at least one of Notre Dame’s defensive ends is worthy of a first-round grade is a pretty good sign.
The Irish will have some questions marks and struggles during the 2019 season, but their ability to pressure and get to the quarterback while consistently disrupting plays in the backfield should not be one of them.
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We here at Slap the Sign will continue to bring you Notre Dame-centric mock draft updates between now and the 2020 NFL Draft.