Ranking every Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years

Notre Dame football has by and large been a one-stop shop for NFL franchises looking to fortify their offensive trenches over the past 25 years.

With that said, though, there have been notable picks at nearly every position coming from South Bend and making a mark on pro football as well.

Over the past 25 years, the Fighting Irish have produced a full spectrum of draft busts to perennial Pro Bowlers headlining the NFL’s annual late April/early May mass hiring — with some players peaking in Notre Dame gold helmets and others ascending from South Bend to become great at the next level.

Let’s rank every Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years

No. 12 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Brady Quinn

2007 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 22

Cleveland Browns, 2007–2009
Denver Broncos, 2010–2011
Kansas City Chiefs, 2012
Seattle Seahawks, 2013 (Did not make team)
New York Jets, 2013
St. Louis Rams, 2013
Miami Dolphins, 2014 (Did not make team)

Having recently been named Slap the Sign’s biggest NFL draft bust from the Fighting Irish, Brady Quinn registers as the lowest-ranked draft pick of the last two and a half decades for multiple reasons.

The first is the most obvious: his teams didn’t win with No. 10 (or later in Kansas City, No. 9) under center. Quinn had a 4-16 record as a starter between his time as an active player on the Browns and the Chiefs.

The second? He was no longer the efficient QB he was in college, completing less than 54% of his passes after having a 63.4% completion rate in his final two seasons at Notre Dame.

No. 11 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Michael Floyd

2012 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 13

Arizona Cardinals, 2012-2016
New England Patriots, 2016
Minnesota Vikings, 2017
New Orleans Saints, 2018 (Did not make team)
Washington Redskins 2018
Baltimore Ravens, 2019 (Did not make team)

Michael Floyd never reached the gaudy Pro Bowl status his multiple 1,000 receiving yard-seasons he had during his final two years in South Bend indicated he could achieve, but the 2012 NFL draft’s No. 13 pick was a solid contributor to the Arizona Cardinals for the first four and a half years of his career.

Once Floyd was traded to the New England Patriots, despite winning a Super Bowl LI ring, his career went downhill. Marred by personal issues, Floyd’s off-field behavior de-railed what could’ve been a longer career as a WR3.

In 2016 and 2017, Floyd was found asleep at the wheel of his car and charged with two counts of DUI, before being found guilty of extreme DUI and sentenced to 24 days in jail and 96 days of house arrest two months after that. Floyd somehow played 13 games for the Washington Redskins in 2018, but by then, it was clear he was at the backend of a career marred by disappointment following a starring run in South Bend.

No. 10 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Kyle Hamilton

2022 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 14

Baltimore Ravens, 2022-Present

Kyle Hamilton is just one season into his NFL career, but so far, the former Fighting Irish safety looks like someone who can stick at the pro level. With Chuck Clark recently being traded to the New York Jets, Hamilton has the chance to step up in a bigger role during the 2022 season.

As Ravens Country’s Harrison Reno noted, Hamilton adjusted positionally to contribute his rookie year, but the Atlanta-area native figures to have a more traditional role in 2023 — which could possibly bring the best out of him in Baltimore’s defense.

“As a rookie, Hamilton played most of his snaps, 354, as a slot cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus,” Reno prefaced before saying, “The move to the slot was due to already having Clark and the signing of Marcus Williams, making them the safety pairing. Hamilton stood out at Notre Dame with his sideline-to-sideline range and coverage skills that allowed him to be flexible positionally. And now a Ravens move offers him the chance to flex his muscles as a pivotal player in this defense.”

Big things could be coming for Hamilton, who for now, ranks low due to inexperience.

No. 9 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Will Fuller

2016 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 21

Houston Texans, 2016–2020
Miami Dolphins, 2021

Will Fuller already being out of the NFL takes a great deal of shine away from the former Fighting Irish star. While Fuller didn’t look primed to become a star at the pro football level, he did appear to be someone capable of serving as a WR2 or WR3 for years to come.

Unfortunately, injuries derailed his career before it could ever get started. Fuller had a broken collarbone before his second season, a hamstring injury to start the 2018 season and an ACL year to end it, and a broken thumb that ended his career in 2021.

While Fuller was a No. 1 option in Houston during the 2020 season, he still couldn’t finish with a 1,000-yard or 10-touchdown season. Perhaps a return is in the cards at some point, but for now, Fuller’s career is one with plenty of what-ifs.

No. 8 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Jerry Tillery

2019 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 28

Los Angeles Chargers, 2019–2022
Las Vegas Raiders, 2022–present

Jerry Tillery had a strong start to his career with the Los Angeles Chargers, amassing 10.5 sacks in his first three and a half seasons in Tinseltown before the relationship between the franchise and the Shreveport, Louisiana native disintegrated rapidly this past November.

“The relationship between the Chargers and former first-round pick Jerry Tillery dissolved so quickly and dramatically this week that he was suddenly waived (November 10),” the Los Angeles Times’ Jeff Miller reported. “On Friday, coach Brandon Staley explained that the team and the player had ‘competing visions’ of Tillery’s role, particularly after starting defensive lineman Austin Johnson was lost for the season Sunday. This week, tensions escalated between Tillery and some of his teammates and members of the Chargers’ coaching staff.”

Tillery is now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders, and his story can now go one of two ways.

Either he shows the Chargers what they were missing and continues to develop into a fearsome trench defender, or the issues between the DL and Los Angeles are a sign of Tillery not focusing on the right thing, aka the game of football.

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.

No. 6 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Mike McGlinchey

2018 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 9

San Francisco 49ers, 2018–2022
Denver Broncos, 2023–present

Mike McGlinchey made the PFWA All-Rookie Team following his first season in San Francisco, and since then, he has served as a steady hand along the 49ers’ offensive line. Though not as decorated as many of his contemporaries over the years coming from the Fighting Irish, McGlinchey has furthered the legacy of Notre Dame football products holding down starting OL positions in the NFL.

Predominantly Orange’s Javier Ascoli credited McGlinchey for being an “insane run-blocker” though he also labeled him as “decent” in pass-protection — but the most notable thing Ascoli said about the Warrington, Pennsylvania native is Broncos head coach Sean Payton could take advantage of the Denver offseason signing’s best traits.

“McGlinchey has shown over his young NFL career that he is an insane run-blocker,” Ascoli wrote. “Not the best pass-protector, but he’s been decent there. San Francisco had a huge running game, and new Head Coach Sean Payton might have a heavy run game with the Broncos too, as he did in New Orleans with the Alvin Kamara-Mark Ingram RB combo and the Terron Armstead-Ryan Ramczyk OT combo, taking advantage of McGlinchey’s best traits as an offensive tackle.”

No. 5 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Tyler Eifert

2013 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 21

Cincinnati Bengals, 2013–2019
Jacksonville Jaguars, 2020

Tyler Eifert’s 2015 season was so spectacular — one in which he caught 13 touchdown passes and 74 passes overall to the tune of 615 receiving yards — that it single-handedly lifted the tight end’s legacy from an injury-riddle what-if to a one-year wonder.

Cincy Jungle’s Nick Manchester pointed out how even Eifert’s best season was ultimately marred by injury.

“2015 was his best season by far, as it was for many other Bengals,” Manchester prefaced before saying, “Playing in 13 games helped Eifert dominate the NFL, but even his best season was shortened due to injury. The Bengals would go on to lose in the Wild Card round of the playoffs without him in their last playoff appearance of the decade.”

Eifert retired following the 2020 season in Jacksonville, his only season not in Cincinnati — and unfortunately for him, the year Joe Burrow arrived. Eifert was someone who had a good career that may have been great if not for the injury bug.

No. 4 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Ronnie Stanley

2016 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 6

Baltimore Ravens, 2016–present

Ronnie Stanley was progressing into a top offensive tackle in the NFL before everything changed during the COVID-19-stricken 2020 season. Stanley broke his ankle against the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 8 and missed the rest of the 2020 season and all but one game in 2021.

As Justin Fried wrote for Ebony Bird, Stanley was seen as a potential injury retiree before returning in 2022 and returning to his pre-injury form.

“A devastating ankle injury sidelined Stanley during the prime of his career, and there have been times when it seemed like the former sixth-overall pick might never suit up for the Ravens again, let alone return to his pre-injury form,” Fried prefaced before saying, “It’s taken a couple of years, multiple corrective surgeries, and endless rehab stints, but Ronnie Stanley is back. Not only is he back, but he’s playing like an All-Pro again. The Ravens’ offensive line has been one of the best in the NFL this season, and a large part of that is due to the re-emergence of their star left tackle.”

Stanley could turn out to make good on all of the potential he had coming out of South Bend — and if he did, it’d make him a Notre Dame football legend who didn’t let adversity stop his goals from being achieved.

No. 3 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Quenton Nelson

2018 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 6

Indianapolis Colts, 2018–present

Quenton Nelson started to struggle during the 2022 season, but for the four years prior, the Holmdel, New Jersey product was a 4x All-Pro offensive guard who looked like a home run with the No. 6 draft pick from 2018. Luckily, Nelson has every intention of getting better as he told The Athletic’s Zak Keefer.

“It’s got me excited for this offseason, and I’m switching up my approach a lot,” Nelson said of his struggles. “Everything’s fixable. I plan to have my best year next year. It starts with the offseason. I truly believe I can do that.”

Even if Nelson never gets back to his pre-2022 form, he has already established himself as one of the great Notre Dame football OL at the NFL level.

No. 2 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Harrison Smith

2012 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 29

Minnesota Vikings, 2012–present

For over the past decade-plus, safety Harrison Smith has been a high-value staple of the Minnesota Vikings’ secondary, racking up six Pro Bowl nominations and two All-Pro nominations in his celebrated NFL career.

Sticking with one team at Smith’s position isn’t common, and he even thought about leaving the Twin Cities over this past offseason. “I thought about (leaving the Vikings) for sure,” Smith prefaced before saying, “It’s human nature. I think about other things and other places. So, yeah.”

Ultimately, though, Smith took a pay cut from $14.7 million to $8 million with $2 million in incentives to stay in Minnesota. The Knoxville Catholic product could well end up being one of the great Fighting Irish defenders at the NFL level in the 21st century — though arguably, he already is.

No. 1 Notre Dame football first-round draft pick of the last 25 years: Zack Martin

2014 NFL Draft: Round 1, Pick 16

Dallas Cowboys, 2014–present

Going from protecting Tony Romo to Dak Prescott, but no matter who has been under center, Zack Martin has been one of the primary reasons why the Dallas Cowboys. With a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nomination every season since being drafted besides the 2020 season — one which was derailed by a calf strain injury — Martin has been consistently among the offensive linemen in the sport.

Martin has nearly as many Pro Bowl appearances as he has holding penalties, showing a surreal level of discipline throughout nearly a decade in pro football playing for one of the most renowned franchises in NFL history.

Representing Notre Dame football with pride, Martin has been the golden child of the golden helmet guild over the past 25 years.