Notre Dame Football: How can Irish draft prospects improve their stock?
By Andrew Hall
Kurt Hinish – Nose Guard – Senior
The Nose Guard from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania will never grab a lot of the limelight. His position is not designed to make several flashy plays. However, Hinish is the difference in a successful or unsuccessful defense.
In 2019, Hinish tallied 15 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. These pedestrian statistics illustrate that the position he plays does not always yield results that can be quantified. His success can only be quantified in how well his fellow teammates play. If the success of Drue Tranquill, Tevon Coney, Drew White and Asmar Bilal are any indication, Hinish is play very well.
Since arriving on campus, Hinish appeared in all but one game. In 2019, he started all 13 games. He is a stalwart in the middle of the Irish defense allowing those around him to make the plays that end up on the highlight reel.
Regardless of whether or not Hinish is drafted, he will probably find his way to becoming a productive NFL player. Ian Williams, former Notre Dame Nose Guard, went undrafted before having a five-year NFL career that was cut short by injury.
The biggest difference between Williams and Hinish is the amount of production. Although the position of Nose Guard is not always about how many sacks or tackles for loss that are made, Hinish’s production remains lower than other players who were drafted or found success in the NFL.
What can Hinish do to improve: Hinish probably needs to double his production in 2020 if he wants to be selected in the NFL Draft. This might be difficult to do. Notre Dame Defensive Coordinator Clark Lei likes to rotate a lot of Defensive Linemen. Sophomore Jacob Lacey looks to continue to push for more playing time in 2020.
Projection: Undrafted Free Agent
High-Low Range: 7th Round to Undrafted Free Agent