Notre Dame Football: 5 takeaways from the 2021 Pro Day

[caption id="attachment_64765" align="alignnone" width="3200"] Notre Dame Football head coach Brian Kelly. (Photo by Ronald C. Modra/Getty Images)[/caption]rnrn Notre Dame Football showed out during their Pro Day on Wednesday, as players significantly helped their draft stock ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft. rnrnNotre Dame Football had their Pro Day on Wednesday, and it has now come and gone. For those who were able to watch it on NBCSN, they got to see four of last season's top offensive linemen go through numerous drills, Book throw to receivers participating in the pro day and coming back to Notre Dame, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah work out.rnrnOf course, this is one day of drills. It's not equivalent to the past four years of film these players have put together, and it should be treated as such. This shouldn't disrupt your feelings for any particular player, or make you fall in love with them. You know who these guys are and what they're capable of.rnrnTake the pro day for what it's worth. This is a chance to show just how well players take direction, interview, and take a look at if they test well athletically. There is definitely benefit to it, but less value than other aspects of the draft process.rnrnSo, what are the biggest takeaways from Notre Dame's pro day?rnrn[nextslide teaser="NBC's%20Coverage" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_64161" align="alignnone" width="3200"] Notre Dame Football. (Photo by Matt Cashore-Pool/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Notre Dame Football: 5 takeaways from the 2021 Pro Day rn NBCSN's Coverage Was Limited rnFor anyone who wanted to watch the Notre Dame pro day, they were able to by tuning to NBC Sports Network, or NBCSN. That, it should be noted, is much more than most programs get for their pro days, so, be grateful for getting easily accessible coverage. However, why produce such limited coverage if you're going through the trouble of a two-hour television event?rnrnThe broadcast spent almost all of its time on the offensive line and Ian Book , only dipping their toes into talking about anyone else, including presumed first-round pick Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. In fact, even when JOK was working out, they only showed it in the background of an Ian Book interview.rnrnYes, obviously, Book is the headliner, and there are a bunch of great linemen to look at, but they're not the only players people care about.rnrn Tommy Tremble and the rest of the receivers got no air time. No one on defense was mentioned, save for JOK in passing, NBCSN didn't give a list of everyone's 40-yard dash times, bench press reps, or anything else.rnrnIt was disappointing not to get a well-rounded product from the network, and it felt like too much was missing from the information they gave viewers.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Robert%20Hainsey" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_66424" align="alignnone" width="3200"] Robert Hainsey (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Notre Dame Football: 5 takeaways from the 2021 Pro Day rn Robert Hainsey Had a Big Day rnRobert Hainsey was a great tackle at Notre Dame. Of course, the NFL is another beast and he is now being looked at as a late draft pick to potentially going undrafted. That is related to some teams feeling he's got some issues with his balance and overall strength.rnrnHe's looked at as unlikely to be able to play tackle in the NFL, and this means his best option is to show strength and versatility in the draft process.rnrnHainsey has already started to show that versatility, bouncing between positions at the Senior Bowl. At the Notre Dame pro day, he showed off that strength and speed combination that could make him valuable to teams. He put up 32 reps on the bench, that's at 225lbs, and had a 5.22 40-yard dash time. That's solid for an offensive lineman.rnrnThis should help solidify Hainsey's reputation as being a strong offensive lineman, and help give teams the confidence to take him in the draft itself, knowing he's athletic enough to successfully move inside.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Tommy%20Tremble" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_66423" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Notre Dame Football (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Notre Dame Football: 5 takeaways from the 2021 Pro Day rn Tommy Tremble is Going to Move Up in the Draft rnEveryone knows that Tommy Tremble has good size and is a great blocker. If you need to keep a man back in protection to help protect and pick up blitzes, Tremble can do that brilliantly. If you need an extra blocker to go zone scheme off the strong side, no problem there. The question about Tremble relates to his actual receiving ability.rnrnTo start the day, Tremble got everyone's attention with a 4.49 40-yard dash. That's blazing fast for a tight end. The average tight end rarely goes below a 4.7 40 time. That 4.7 40 time is where Cole Kmet was last season. Rob Gronkowski ran a 4.68, and Travis Kelce ran a 4.61 to compare him to a couple of consistent Pro Bowlers.rnrnThat means, he posted the type of speed you expect to see in an elite tight end.rnrnHe also had a good day catching the ball. Tremble showed off soft hands and ran some solid routes, like the wheel route. When you combine that with his solid tape running routes, attacking safeties, and the seams and Tremble is showing that he's more than a blocking option.rnrnTremble is rocketing up draft boards, and he's going to be drafted higher than anyone expected when he declared for the draft.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Jeremiah%20Owusu-Koramoah" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_61906" align="alignnone" width="3200"] Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Notre Dame Football: 5 takeaways from the 2021 Pro Day rn Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah Continues to Impress rnIt was a great day for Notre Dame's Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who put up monster numbers in his drills. There is the exception of the 40-yard dash, which he didn't run due to a tight hamstring. Of course, everyone already knows JOK is lightning fast, and it won't be a big deal.rnrnFrom the testing, JOK moved into linebacker drills, where his quick feet, length, and athleticism showed through. Frankly, it's hard to believe he had a tight hamstring he was moving so quickly. This, much like how he tested, wasn't a surprise, but a confirmation of what everyone already knew about JOK, he's a first-round talent-even if you can't decide on his position just yet.rnrnAll of this was a formality for JOK, though. Ever since the start of the 2020 season, everyone has been widely aware that JOK is the best player on Notre Dame's roster and that he was going to be a first-round pick.rnrnStill, watching to pro day was worth it, if only to see just how athletic JOK is under ideal conditions.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Ian%20Book" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_64367" align="alignnone" width="3200"] Ian Book, Notre Dame Football Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports[/caption]rn Notre Dame Football: 5 takeaways from the 2021 Pro Day rn Ian Book's Day Throwing rnBy no means was Ian Book perfect throwing the ball at the Notre Dame pro day. He missed a few of the deep balls, which maybe isn't surprising. He also made some good, accurate throws on the run, including downfield, which shouldn't be surprising either. After his workout, he'd speak to the media, telling them he was happy with his performance and that he just wanted to show he could make all the throws. Former wide receiver, Corey Robinson, said that as a freshman Book had the strongest arm on the team, ahead of players like Everett Golson and DeShone Kizer.rnrnNone of that changes Book's stock, though. In fact, it really doesn't change the way we look at him at all. Everyone knows Book is capable. The question is whether or not he's capable in a game of throwing an out-route from the far hash, facing a pass rush. His footwork and accuracy aren't the type of concerns teams have. This means he never could improve his stock throwing, not by much at least.rnrnThe rest of the day went Book's way in a major way. He's interviewed well and his testing was excellent. Book had set a goal for himself of beating Baker Mayfield's numbers across the board because they have been compared frequently. He outdid Mayfield and every category he tested for. In fact, he ran so well that it put him between Cam Newton and Deshaun Watson in terms of speed.rnrnThere's no denying Book's character or athleticism. The only test he has to pass is one he can't before the draft, and that's his guts with the ball in actual games.rnrn[story_link_next description="Notre%20Dame%20Football%3A%205%20Things%20to%20Watch%20for%20during%202021%20Pro%20Day" url="https://slapthesign.com/2021/03/31/notre-dame-football-5-things-pro-day/" /]

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Notre Dame Football: 5 takeaways from the 2021 Pro Day

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