Notre Dame Football: Biggest NFL Draft busts in program history

Kevin Hardy

Kevin Hardy was a three sport athlete at Notre Dame, lettering in basketball and baseball as well as football. Still, everyone knew that the defensive tackle was a football player first and foremost. After all, he was an All-American who was a part of Ara Parseghian’s 1966 National Championship team.

A great career at Notre Dame led to him being drafted 7th overall by the New Orleans Saints. Unfortunately for Hardy, the success he found at Notre Dame wouldn’t follow him to the NFL.

Hardy never played for New Orleans, instead being sent to San Francisco for the 1968 season. He didn’t get a shot to play at all in 1969. By 1970, he popped up with the Green Bay Packers. Only playing one season in Green Bay, it was a bad one, going just 4-8-2 under head coach Dan Devine. Quickly, he’d be on his way to the San Diego Chargers, where after two more seasons as a backup, he’d be out of the NFL.

Jim Seymour

Today, Jim Seymour is remembered as one of the best receivers in Irish history, having been named an All-American three times during the Ara Parseghian era at Notre Dame. Terry Hanratty’s favorite wide receiver, Seymour was a  key figure on the 1966 National Championship team.

At a glance, you’d expect Seymour to be set up as one of the best receivers in the NFL for the 1970s. Instead, that never happened, despite being taken 10th in 1969 by the Los Angeles Rams. Of course, it shouldn’t have been all that surprising that his career was going to be headed in the wrong direction, after all, he was traded to the Bears after just one season.

Still, Seymour only lasted three forgettable seasons with the Bears, before going to the WFL for one season with the Chicago Fire. That’s the World Football League, which lasted from 1973-75 for those keeping track. Though, for what it’s worth 1974 was the only year the Fire actually had a season. With the end of the Chicago Fire came the end of Seymour’s professional career.