Notre Dame Football: Joe Montana best ‘sleeper’ pick in Irish history
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football program has sent more players to the NFL than any other in history, and one player is considered their biggest sleeper.
The Notre Dame Football program has seen plenty of players selected in the NFL Draft, including nine this past year. This is a program that has built a reputation of not only producing NFL talent but elite NFL players, some of which have gone on to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In a ranking of the best ‘sleeper’ pick to come out of each of the preseason top-25 teams in college football, the Irish saw former signal-caller Joe Montana get the nod. Of course, Montana had a decent career in South Bend, with some special moments, but nothing like what he did at the NFL level for the San Francisco 49ers.
Notre Dame Football star becomes possibly the best QB ever
For those who do not remember, Montana was the 82nd player selected in the 1979 NFL Draft, as three other signal-callers, including Phil Simms, went in the first round. During Montana’s three years as the quarterback for the Irish, he tossed 25 touchdowns against 25 interceptions and completed only 52 percent of his passes.
During the 1977 season, Montana helped lead the Irish to their only title under Dan Devine, reeling off nine straight victories, including a 38-10 victory over Texas in the Cotton Bowl. He capped his career by playing in the “Chicken Soup Game” the following season, before becoming a third-round selection of the 49ers.
With San Francisco, Montana became the perfect person to run Bill Walsh’s system, winning four Super Bowls without losing one, and getting named MVP in three of them. Before Tom Brady came along, Montana was considered the best QB in NFL history, and some still feel that is the case.
In the 2021 NFL Draft, Aaron Banks became a second-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, and he is a guy who could end up being quite a ‘sleeper’ pick as well. I believed that Banks was the best interior offensive lineman in this draft class, and with the 49ers, he is going to be given a chance to show that right away.