Notre Dame Football: Top 10 Defensive Players the Irish Will Face in 2019

2. Paulson Adebo (Cornerback, Stanford)

Some Irish fans may recall that Notre Dame recruited Adebo pretty heavily when he was in high school. The four-star cornerback had Notre Dame as one of his top choices before ultimately committing to Stanford.

Adebo earned a starting job as a sophomore and had a breakout season in 2018. He finished the year tied for the most passes defended (pass break ups and interceptions) in the country. He totaled 20 pass break ups and four interceptions.

Adebo is not just a coverage corner. He has the physicality that is needed to make it at the next level. Adebo was Stanford’s third-leading tackler in 2018. He had 64 total tackles and forced a fumble.

Unsurprisingly, Adebo was named to the all PAC-12 first team this offseason.

1. Bryce Hall (Cornerback, Virginia)

Bryce Hall is widely regarded as the best cornerback in the nation. He is likely to hear his name called during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

I mentioned that Paulson Adebo was tied for the most passes defended last season. The player that he was tied with: Bryce Hall.

Hall finished the year with 22 pass break ups and two interceptions.

Speaking of physical cornerbacks, Hall is another player that fits that mold. He had 62 total tackles, two sacks, and two forced fumbles in 2018.

Voting for the all conference teams took place not too long ago. In the ACC, no defensive player received more first-team votes than Bryce Hall.