Notre Dame Football: Shaun Crawford in a great spot with the Raiders
By Brad Weiss
Notre Dame football DB Shaun Crawford went undrafted in the 2021 NFL Draft, but he actually landed in a perfect spot with the Las Vegas Raiders as a UDFA.
It was another big showing for the Notre Dame Football program in the 2021 NFL Draft, and even after the seventh round closed out, members of the Irish were still landing in the NFL. One such player is Shaun Crawford, who many saw as a fringe draft prospect, but someone who would definitely find a home as an undrafted free agent.
That came true on Sunday, as Crawford joined the Las Vegas Raiders, a team that is actually a perfect landing spot for him. Gus Bradley, the Raiders defensive coordinator, works wonders with defensive backs and was the architect of Seattle’s Legion of Boom defense back in the day.
With Las Vegas, Crawford will be joining a young, and unproven secondary, one that gave up a ton of big plays in 2020.
Notre Dame football sees nine players selected
Incredibly, the Irish closed the 2021 NFL Draft with nine players selected, starting with Liam Eichenberg, who was the Miami Dolphins pick at No. 42 overall. While the program did get shut out of the first round, the picks came fast and often on Days 2 and 3, and that should go a long way in terms of recruiting.
With the nine selections, the Irish also became the school with the most players drafted of all time, a testament to this great program. With loaded recruiting classes on the horizon and some definite draft prospects on this year’s roster, you can be sure the Irish will add to that group in 2022 and beyond.
For Crawford, he could not have hand-picked a better situation, as the Raiders secondary has long been an Achilles Heel for the franchise. They added a ton of talent via the 2021 NFL Draft to their defensive backfield, and before all is said and done, Crawford could very well carve out a roster spot for himself in Las Vegas.