Notre Dame Football: How can Irish draft prospects improve their stock?
By Andrew Hall
Heading into the 2020 season, NFL pundits are already buzzing about several Notre Dame football players and their draft prospects.
The Notre Dame football team saw six players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft. Cole Kmet, Chase Claypool, Julian Okwara, Troy Pride, Khalid Kareem and Alohi Gilman added to Notre Dame’s tremendous NFL legacy. Every year since 1977, at least one former Irish player has been drafted. Overall, 495 Notre Dame players have been drafted. 2021 will continue the trend.
Under Brian Kelly’s regime, nine Irish football players were drafted in the first round. Will Notre Dame add another first rounder? 65 Notre Dame players have been selected in the initial round of the NFL Draft.
Although the certainty of upcoming schedule and timeline of next year’s draft remains uncertain, several players hope to hear their names called in the next NFL Draft. More than ten Irish players could wind up hearing their names called by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
Ian Book, Liam Eichenberg, Brock Wright, Tommy Kraemer, Robert Hainsey, Daelin Hayes, Ade Ogundeji, Kurt Hinish and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah hope to etch their names to Notre Dame’s long list of draftees. Will Notre Dame match their most draftees in a single year under Brian Kelly?
Where do Notre Dame’s draft eligible prospects stand prior to the 2020 season? Will any of these NFL draft hopefuls have a Joe Burrow-like leap from the later rounds to the first round? Here is a breakdown of some of the Irish prospects and how they can improve their 2021 NFL Draft stock.