When talking about the Notre Dame football team and mock drafts, the focus is usually all about where Benjamin Morrison or Xavier Watts will be drafted. On occasion, it’s a look to see where Riley Leonard might go.
But one new mock draft was most interesting because it seemed to have a former Irish defensive lineman getting a nice little slot in the draft. Especially since his impact in South Bend simply wasn’t what many people hoped it would be in 2024. And then he reminded everyone he was there in the playoffs.
RJ Oben’s short career with the Notre Dame football team has to be considered underwhelming at best. He came over from Duke with lots of expectations and then didn’t realize many of those expectations. However, one Cincinati Bengals analyst believes that Oben could still turn get drafted next month. And he believes Oben will go in the 5th round.
Roast me. pic.twitter.com/VWmLf6bVjh
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) March 26, 2025
Notre Dame football defensive lineman gets surprise Mock Draft spot
James Rapien of Bengals Talk recently put together a mock draft of just who Cincinatti will take. And while the real newsmaker of the list might be him thinking that Ashton Jeanty will be available at pick No. 17, he also believed that Oben would be a good fit for the franchise in the 5th round.
That would seemingly be a pretty nice place to land when all is said and done, considering just how rough a season the former Duke defensive star had in South Bend.
Oben finished the season with just 19 tackles and 1 sack. However, that one sack, as well his 1 forced fumble and fumble recovery, came in the Notre Dame football team’s playoff win over the Georgia Bulldogs.