Where Notre Dame players were drafted in media mock NFL draft

Recently, I participated in a 32 team 7-round mock NFL draft with other members of the sports media. Here’s where the Notre Dame players were drafted:

This past weekend I took part in a mock NFL Draft that included 32 sportswriters who were acting as the general managers of the NFL team that they cover. As such, I was the acting general manager of the New York Giants. The draft was a complete seven-round draft complete with trades that were analyzed by software for effectiveness.

As a result of the level of knowledge of the participants of the draft in regard to the collegiate players that were available in the draft and the needs of the NFL teams that they were drafting on behalf of, this mock draft was extremely well researched and ended up being extremely realistic.

Here is where each Notre Dame player ended up being drafted:

Julian Okwara: Second round to the Detroit Lions with the 48th overall pick in the draft

The Detroit Lions were in need of help with their pass rush and with guys like Chase Young, Yetur Gross-Matos and AJ Epenesa already off the board, they turned to Julian Okwara. I actually love this pick and it fell in line with my previous prediction that he would be joining his brother Romeo in Motown.

Cole Kmet: Second round to the Chicago Bears with the 50th overall pick in the draft

As was expected, Cole Kmet was the first tight end to be drafted. I expected him to go in the first round of the draft. However, that would not be the case as he would be the second Notre Dame player to be chosen after Okwara went just two picks prior. The Bears were rumored to be strongly interested in Kmet for a while but recently signed Jimmy Graham to a contract, causing most draft experts to believe that Chicago could pass on the hometown, Kmet.

Chase Claypool: Third round to the Green Bay Packers with the 69th overall pick in the draft

As the acting general manager for the New York Giants, I hoped that Chase Claypool would slip to the Giants with the 99th pick but I knew the likelihood of that happening was less than being struck multiple times by lightning. Claypool did slip to the third round but not too far into it. By drafting Claypool, the Packers would give Aaron Rogers a dynamic receiver who makes an excellent red-zone target.

Troy Pride Jr.: Fourth round to the Washington Redskins with the 108th overall pick in the draft

After cutting Josh Norman, the Washington Redskins are in need of additional depth at the cornerback position. As a result, they select Troy Pride Jr. with their fourth-round pick. The speedy Pride Jr. is an excellent addition to the Redskins in the middle rounds of the draft.

Khalid Kareem: Fourth round to the Philadelphia Eagles with the 145th overall pick in the draft

With their fourth-round selection, the Eagles add Khalid Kareem to a pass-rushing group that includes Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, and Vinny Curry. Kareem represents one of the better bull-rushing defensive ends in the draft and provides ideal depth at the position for Philly.

Alohi Gilman: Fifth round to the New Orleans Saints with the 169th overall pick in the draft

The New Orleans Saints added Malcolm Jenkins and DJ Swearinger to their safety corps in the offseason, bolstering it a great deal over last season. With their fifth-round pick, they opt to add more depth to the position by selecting the hard-hitting Alohi Gilman.

Jalen Elliott: Seventh round to the Baltimore Ravens with the 224th overall pick in the draft

In the final round of the draft, the Baltimore Ravens general manager added Jalen Elliott as a safety depth piece and potential special teams contributor. With Earl Thomas and Chuck Clark as the starting safety tandem, it is unlikely that Elliott would crack the starting roster in Baltimore barring massive injuries. However, he represents an excellent depth piece in the seventh round of the draft.