Notre Dame football: Los Angeles Chargers draft Alohi Gilman

The Los Angeles Chargers drafted former Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman in the 6th round of the 2020 NFL Draft with the 186th overall selection.

In the 2019 NFL Draft, the Los Angeles Chargers drafted the heart and soul of the Notre Dame defense when they selected Drue Tranquill in the fourth round with the 130th overall pick in the draft. In 2020, the Chargers went back to the well drafting the heart and soul of the 2019 Notre Dame football team’s defense, Alohi Gilman.

The Chargers would select the Hawaii product in the 6th round of the 2020 Draft with the 186th overall selection. With the selection, the Chargers land themselves a player with as high a character as any player to have played at South Bend.

Gilman originally began his collegiate career at the Naval Academy, where he was an unrecruited player. He would transfer to Notre Dame after a year at Navy and would become an impact player for the Irish.

While Gilman doesn’t have the athletic ability that would wow scouts, he possesses the intangibles that made him a leader on the Notre Dame defense. Gilman epitomizes a blue-collar player who does what is necessary to succeed. He is smart, driven, fearless, and oozes leadership ability.

Gilman gained notoriety on a national scale when he was seen helping stadium workers clean up trash following the conclusion of the NFL Combine. The act was symbolic of the type of player that Los Angeles is getting with the former Irish safety.

In Los Angeles, Gilman will benefit from being an understudy to All-Pro safety Derwin James. Gilman will be joining a slew of former Notre Dame teammates in South Bend West  Los Angeles as the Chargers have a roster with former Irish standouts such as Tranquill, Jerry Tillery, and Isaac Rochell. In addition to joining those players, Gilman will have fellow 2019 Notre Dame teammates Asmar Bilal and Donte Vaughn in camp with him, as the Chargers signed them as undrafted free agents.

Gilman will likely compete to be depth at safety for the Chargers in 2020 and will probably represent a special teams contributor in the immediate future. However, as Irish fans are well aware, you can’t discount the heart of Gilman, he may very well force his way into a regular role with Los Angeles next season.