Notre Dame Football NFL Combine Watch: Kmet, Claypool, Finke workout Thursday

The NFL Combine get rolling on Thursday. Three Notre Dame football stars will partake in workouts on Day 1.

The annual NFL Scouting Combine kicks off tomorrow in Indianapolis. Hundred of hope NFL prospects from all across the country will descend on Indianapolis, hoping to take what are the first steps in their professional football careers. Three Notre Dame football players will be among those working out on Day 1.

With Thursday being the day where tight ends, quarterbacks and receiver workout, that means Cole Kmet, Chase Claypool, and Chris Finke are up.

Each comes into the combine workouts in different situations. Kmet is projected as one of the best tight ends available and a strong candidate for a first-round draft pick. All he really needs to do is show up, run routes and catch the ball the way he did on film, and simply not look awful. If Kmet can do just that, he stays in the conversation as a possible first-rounder. If he can put up numbers we were not expending in his speed and agility workouts, that might be good enough to make him a first-round lock.

Chase Claypool enters the combine with some work to do. His on-field production speaks for itself, but this is a crowded class at the receiver position. We know his size is going to draw attention immediately, as he’ll be one of the biggest players at the position in Indy. If his speed and agility numbers start matching what some of the smaller, more talked about guys are projected to put up, Claypool is going to shoot up the draft boards as a guy offensive coordinators would love to have in the mix. He could end up as high as an early second-round pick.

Chris Finke just needs to show up and demonstrate value as a slot receiver. He needs to catch everything, run well, and crush his interviews in order to get himself on the map as a late-round pick or a priority undrafted free agent.

You can watch all of the workouts go down starting Thursday, February 27, at 4 pm ET on the NFL Network.