Notre Dame football: Liam Eichenberg working with first-team in Miami
By Brad Weiss
The Miami Dolphins picked Notre Dame football star Liam Eichenberg in the second round in 2021, and he has made a smooth move inside.
During his time with the Notre Dame football program, Liam Eichenberg became one of the best offensive tackles in the country. Protecting the blindside of Ian Book, Eichenberg would go on to become an All-American for the Irish, and a huge reason they won so many games with him manning the left side.
During the 2021 NFL Draft, Eichenberg heard his name called in the second round, becoming the first member of the Notre Dame football team off the board. The Miami Dolphins made him the selection despite having a young, franchise left tackle already on the roster, but that should not stop Eichenberg from having a real impact in Year 1.
Notre Dame football star currently the starter at left guard
According to Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post, Eichenberg is with the first team at the left guard position, with Michael Deiter, the listed starter on ourlads.com, running as the starting center. That means that currently, Deiter is ahead of Matt Skura, who signed a one-year contract in Miami back in March after being a starter for the Baltimore Ravens across the last four seasons.
The move inside makes a lot of sense for Eichenberg, as he certainly has the size and strength to play in there, and it gives him a chance to start right away. Also, it shows that he has tremendous versatility, something that is going to go a long way during his NFL career, even if he eventually does make the move back outside to tackle.
As is his personality, Eichenberg has taken the move in stride and continues to put his head down and learn his new position. This is a Miami team that has some high expectations this season, and it looks like Eichenberg is going to be a big part of the plan in 2021, and beyond.
Eichenberg is an outstanding talent, and while he could end up being one of the franchise tackles in Miami down the road, the move inside is leading to a starting role. We still will have to see what happens with the Deiter-Skura battle at center, but as the team is starting to put pads on, Eichenberg remains running with the first team.