Notre Dame Football: Irish snubbed in first round of 2021 NFL Draft

The Notre Dame Football program figures to have plenty of guys selected in the 2021 NFL Draft but were recently snubbed from the first round.

The Notre Dame Football program has won a ton of games over the last four seasons and heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, they are going to be well-represented. They had the second-most players invited to the Scouting Combine with 11, and this group went to two College Football Playoffs in the last three seasons.

As we inch closer to the 2021 NFL Draft, the Irish have seen many players start to ascend up draft boards, including guys like Daelin Hayes, Robert Hainsey, and Ade Ogundeji to name a few. Across the seven rounds, Notre Dame Football is going to be a mainstay, but in the first, one mock had them nowhere to be seen.

Looking at their talent, that is not likely to happen.

Notre Dame Football snubbed in latest 2021 NFL Mock Draft

In the latest mock draft from Pro Football Focus, the Notre Dame Football program was shut out of the first round. That was a bit of a shock considering how high Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah had been rising in some recent mocks, and the fact that Liam Eichenberg was inching his way to the first 32 picks as well.

Owusu-Koramoah is considered by some to be the best linebacker in this draft class, and some feel he could be the first defensive player off the board who is not a cornerback. Eichenberg is an NFL-ready starting offensive tackle and based on all the movement we have seen across the NFL in offensive linemen being moved, he is a cheap option for teams like Green Bay, Kansas City, and New Orleans late in round one.

Of course, nobody really knows how the draft will play out, and whether or not Notre Dame Football will see a player selected in round one. What we do know is that this recent mock by Pro Football Focus is an exception, and not the rule, as there is no way JOK falls into the second round.