Notre Dame Football: Robert Hainsey’s versatility paying off in a big way
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame Football program saw three of its starting offensive linemen selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, including Robert Hainsey.
The 2021 NFL Draft was a special one for the Notre Dame Football program, as nine members of the Irish were selected across the three-day event. We expected at least two to go in the first round, but both Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Liam Eichenberg fell to the second, as the Irish were left out of the first round for the second straight year.
Heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, the Notre Dame Football offensive line got a lot of buzz, especially after a terrific Senior Bowl week for some of them. All four were expected to be drafted, and while it ended up being three who heard their name selected, the fourth, Tommy Kraemer, was quickly signed as an undrafted free agent by the Detroit Lions.
Because of this, the Irish will have to reload along the offensive line this offseason but do have some excellent players coming back. Notre Dame Football has long been “Offensive Line U,” and this previous class certainly lived up to that billing.
Notre Dame Football star showing versatility
After both Aaron Banks and Liam Eichenberg went in the second round, it was Robert Hainsey who was the third offensive lineman from Notre Dame off the board. Hainsey was a fourth-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who liked the versatility he showed during Senior Bowl week according to Jenna Laine, ESPN’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers reporter.
Interesting wrinkle from rookie camp: Former Notre Dame offensive tackle Robert Hainsey said he’s actually working at center now. It wasn’t a position he worked at until the Senior Bowl. It was his willingness to play guard/center at the Senior Bowl that piqued the Bucs’ interest
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) May 14, 2021
Remember, Hainsey played offensive tackle with the Irish last season, so this kind of versatility is going to go a long way for him at the next level. Offensive linemen get hurt all the time during an NFL season, especially now that they are shifting towards a 17-game schedule, so you can expect him to see plenty of time as a rookie all over this offensive line.
Tampa Bay is coming off a Super Bowl win and is one of the favorites once again to take home the championship this upcoming season. It would be pretty excellent to see Hainsey be a key contributor on a Super Bowl-winning team in Year 1.