Ranking every Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years
C. Cleveland Browns. Jeff Faine. 21. player. 53.
No. 7 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Jeff Faine
2003 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 21
Cleveland Browns, 2003–2005
New Orleans Saints, 2006–2007
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2008–2011
Cincinnati Bengals, 2012
Jeff Faine was neither a bust nor a spectacular draft success story, but the former Notre Dame football center was a difference-maker on three different teams (Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and was a key negotiator for the NFLPA as a representative for Tampa Bay during the 2011 lockout negotiations.
Faine was a Pro Bowl alternate and a Buccaneers captain but has had a second career in football, leading a financial services company in Florida since walking away from pro football following the 2012 season.
The Oregon native was a star in South Bend and a solid hand in the NFL.