Notre Dame Football: What the NFL Draft says about the state of the program
By Andrew Hall
The NFL Draft results cast light upon the successes and failures of the Notre Dame football program, as nine players came off the board, but none in the first round.
Nine Notre Dame football players heard their names called in the most recent iteration of the NFL Draft. Since the collapse during the 2016 season, the Fighting Irish have won 43 games in the four seasons that followed.
During that same period, NFL teams selected 24 Notre Dame football players. The draft results illuminate the current triumphs and failures of the Notre Dame football program.
Of the nine players selected in the NFL Draft, none were selected in the first round. Liam Eichenberg, Aaron Banks, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah came off the board in the second round. In the third round, Tommy Tremble and Robert Hainsey were picked.
Finally, Ian Book, Daelin Hayes, and Ade Ogundeji were drafted on the final day of selections. Notre Dame part-timer Ben Skowronek was selected in the seventh round.
What this means about the Notre Dame football program
The number of players selected and where they were picked is a microcosm of Notre Dame football. With nine total selections in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Irish tied for third among college teams.
Alabama and Ohio State tied for the top spot with ten total draft picks. However, the biggest difference between Alabama’s ten total draft picks, and Notre Dame’s nine, is the quality of selections. The Crimson Tide’s draft class featured an astonishing six first-rounders.
The Irish failed to place a prospect into the first round. The lack of high-end talent is evident. Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith ran circles around Notre Dame while the teams were fairly matched in the trenches. If Notre Dame hopes to win a National Championship soon, they must close the gap.
Next. Questions answered in the 2021 Blue-Gold game. dark
According to Todd McShay’s early 2022 mock draft, only one Notre Dame player will hear their name called in the first round. That player is safety Kyle Hamilton. McShay mocked Hamilton to the Carolina Panthers with the 5th pick in next year’s draft.
Sophomore-to-be tight end Michael Mayer is a possible first-round selection for the 2023 NFL draft. In other words, it is unlikely that Notre Dame wins a national championship in the immediate future. However, it is difficult to say what the incoming freshman class and sophomores-to-be will look like in 2023 and 2024.
The gap between the top and Notre Dame is clear; not the amount of NFL talent but the quality of the classes.