Notre Dame football: No in-person combine workouts could hurt Irish players
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football program was one of the best teams in college football this past season, winning ten games, and clinching a spot in the College Football Playoff. They were led by a bunch of players who are draft eligible this season, and some who could actually hear their names called in Round 1.
Before getting to the 2021 NFL Draft, there are a lot of steps, including the Senior Bowl, individual workouts, and of course, the NFL Scouting Combine. However, the Combine is going to look a lot different this season, and that could be to the detriment of some of the fringe draft prospects.
Notre Dame football players will be hurt by no in-person Combine workouts
Unlike every other year, the NFL Scouting Combine will no have in-person workouts this February, as reported by Adam Schefter, which is not a real shock due to the pandemic. However, after getting through an entire college football season, the hope was that they could put enough safety protocols in place for the players to participate in the combine.
Of course, players like Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Liam Eichenberg won’t be tremendously affected by this, but there are several other members of Notre Dame football that will be impacted. The Combine is one of the bigger job interviews these players have, and the fact that no in-person workouts will be held is going to make this draft cycle very interesting.
Last year, Chase Claypool certainly benefited from the Combine by running a stunning 40-yard dash, helping propel him into the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. There are stories like that every year, so players will now have to focus on individual workouts and nailing their draft interviews.
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The Notre Dame football team should see a bunch of players taken during the three-day 2021 NFL Draft, including multiple members of their offensive line. Seven players are participating in the Senior Bowl, which they can use to help improve their draft stock, but no real combine is going to be tough.