Notre Dame football: 3 Irish NFL players who will have biggest impact in 2022
By Ryan Shanko
Notre Dame football: 3 Irish NFL players who will have biggest impact in 2022
Harrison Smith – S – Minnesota Vikings
Harrison Smith has been one of the few stalwarts on a Vikings team plagued by inconsistency over the last decade or so. In 2012 the Vikings selected him with the 29th pick, and 10 years into his incredible career he has amassed 29 interceptions, including 4 pick sixes.
Smith has been an iron man in the NFL at a fairly injury prone position historically and has only missed 8 games in his entire 10-year career, outside of 2013, where he played in 8 games and started 7. Harrison has 6 seasons that saw him corral 3+ interceptions and has only had one 0 int season in his career.
The veteran was selected to the 2012 All-Rookie team, as well as 6 pro bowls and one First Team All Pro selection, which came in 2017. Since joining the NFL in 2012, Harrison is 6th in interceptions, 9th in solo tackles, and 6th in interceptions returned for touchdowns. Smith is and has been worthy of his first-round selection, and has provided value for his franchise, even into his mid-30s.
Final Assessment
2022 will be Smith’s age 33 season, and the safety position is one that values athleticism. The Vikings selected Lewis Cine, a safety from Georgia, with the 32nd overall pick in the 2022 draft this past April. This leads me to believe that Smith will take on more of a leadership role in 2022, and will be tasked with mentoring Cine. I believe that Smith will be a perfect mentor to Cine for the next season or two, and will mold Cine into a similar type of player that Smiith was in his prime.
Conclusion
There are former Irish stars all over the NFL. Chase Claypool, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Aaron Banks, Daelin Hayes, Mike McGlinchey, Julian Love, Julian and Romeo Okwara, Khalid Kareem, Sam Mustipher, and Ronnie Stanley are just a few to add to this list of Irish stars around the NFL.
I chose these three players to focus on because I believe that they will have the most unique positive impact on their individual teams this upcoming season. 2022 will be another amazing NFL season, and I look forward to watching our Fighting Irish make big plays at the highest level.