Notre Dame Football: Liam Eichenberg will still protect the blindside
By Brad Weiss
Despite moving to the right side, Notre Dame Football star Liam Eichenberg will still be protecting the blindside at the next level.
For the past few seasons, the Notre Dame Football program has had the luxury of Liam Eichenberg being their left tackle. An anchor on an Irish offensive line that was one of the best in college football last season, Eichenberg was a second-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 2021 NFL Draft, the first member of the program selected.
During his time with the Irish, Eichenberg manned the left side, protecting Ian Book, while allowing no sacks over his past two seasons. Considering the kind of talent Notre Dame plays, that is a pretty impressive statistic, so it is no big surprise that he would be one of the top-50 selections in the draft.
As he enters the NFL, Eichenberg is joining an incredibly young and talented Dolphins team, one that notched ten wins this past season. He will be tasked with helping them get to the next level, and he should be able to do just that.
Notre Dame Football star to move to right side
With Miami, Eichenberg is going to move to the right side, as the 2020 first-round pick Austin Jackson is the team’s left tackle. Jackson started from Day 1 with the Dolphins as a rookie at left tackle, and despite injuries in his first season, he will be back in that role in 2021.
That means Eichenberg will likely be the team’s right tackle, especially if they decide to move the 2020 second-round pick, Robert Hunt to right guard. That is a move that the organization currently is excited about, and despite the move to the right side, Eichenberg will still be tasked with protecting the quarterback’s blindside.
Miami starter Tua Tagovailoa is a left-handed thrower, which means Eichenberg will once again be responsible for keeping the team’s signal-caller upright. He absolutely dominated in pass coverage during his time with the Irish, and in Miami, he is going to be one of the more NFL-ready offensive linemen to come out this year.
The AFC East is going to be tough this upcoming season, as New England has reloaded after missing the playoffs last season, Buffalo made it all the way to the Divisional Round, and the New York Jets have some exciting new players and coaching staff. Miami is so close to being a perennial playoff contender, and you have to think Eichenberg is one of the final pieces to the puzzle.