Notre Dame Football: Julian Okwara named Top 32 NFL prospect by ESPN’s McShay
By J.P. Scott
According to ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay, at least one Notre Dame football player has a first-round grade.
I’m not sure what to think of this recent ESPN love being shown to Notre Dame football! Just yesterday, we talked about ESPN listing Ian Book as one of the Top 50 players in the nation heading into the 2019 college football season.
Today, one of the most prominent voices at the “Worldwide Leader” tossed more love toward Notre Dame.
Renowned NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay released his list of the Top 32 NFL Draft prospects (subscription required) for 2020 this morning. Notre Dame defensive end Julian Okwara came in at No. 17.
McShay cited Okwara’s athleticism and ability to be a hybrid defensive end/linebacker as one of the reasons the Notre Dame senior could and should be a first-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Four defensive ends in total made McShay’s list. Okawara was No. 3 in that group. The others were Chase Young of Ohio State (No. 5), A.J. Epenesa of Iowa (No. 9), and Curtis Weaver of Boise State (No. 27).
Okwara logged 8 sacks in 2018 and needs to meet and likely exceed that total if Notre Dame wants to remain in New Year’s Six Bowl contention in 2019. If he approaches or exceeds 10 sacks this coming season, you could see him vault into the conversation as a top ten pick in 2020. Elite pass-rushers are at a premium in today’s pass-happy NFL. Okwara’s athleticism should allow him to post impressive combine numbers, which — combined with statistical production — should lock him in as an early first-round selection.
Next. Ian Book named to ESPN's Top 50. dark
More importantly and in the immediate future, Julian Okwara’s abilities are going to be needed in 2019 against a schedule that includes Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Michigan’s Shea Patterson, Virginia Tech’s Ryan Willis and Stanford’s K.J. Costello. The Notre Dame pass rush could very well be the difference in those games.