Notre Dame football: 3 Irish land in recent two-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame football team could have multiple players taken on Day 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft, but a recent two-round mock is low on the Irish.
In recent NFL Drafts, the Notre Dame football program has struggled to place guys in the first round. In fact, Kyle Hamilton going to the Baltimore Ravens at pick No. 14 overall was the first member of the Irish to land in the first round since Jerry Tillery in 2019.
Even then, Hamilton was projected to be at least a top-10 pick, falling into the waiting arms of the Ravens in the middle of the first round. Going into the 2022 college football season, there is a lot of hype surrounding this Irish roster, and some believe as many as four players could land in the first round alone.
However, that is not the shared opinion of everyone.
Recently, James Fragoza from Pro Football Network put together an early two-round 2023 NFL Mock Draft, and where some Irish stars landed was interesting.
Notre Dame football lands three players in the top-two rounds
In this mock, Michael Mayer is the first member of the Irish off the board, going all the way down at No. 23 to the Houston Texans. While this would be an excellent landing spot for him, giving him the chance to start right away, many feel he is a top-half of the draft guy heading into his final season in South Bend.
Teammate Brandon Joseph follows him at No. 28 overall, landing in Green Bay to help bolster their defense. Again, a great landing spot for Joseph, as Green Bay has struggled mightily within the defensive backfield, but he is regarded as a top safety in the class and could go much higher.
Finally, Isaiah Foskey is taken on Day 2, going to Cleveland with pick No. 55 overall. Widely regarded as a top-3 edge rusher in this class, Foskey has been mocked in the first round by plenty of publications, making this selection an interesting one as well.
Overall, I expect all three of these players to go on Day 1, and possibly center Jarrett Patterson too, who will be regarded as the best interior offensive lineman in this draft class. Early mocks are fun to read, but in this case, the Irish seem to be a bit overlooked by the writer.