The hype surrounding the Notre Dame football team is completely off the charts heading into the 2026 season. There are several reasons why there’s so much hype. The latest Bleacher Report mock draft shows just how good the Fighting Irish should be this season. This latest first-round mock shows that not one, not two, not three, but four different players from Marcus Freeman’s latest squad could go early.
Of the four, Leonard Moore is the one who has consistently been slotted in the first round. He’s there again with this Bleacher Report mock, but he’s joined by some other guys who are a bit new to getting this much hype. CJ Carr is there too, and he’s got some first-round love in other mocks as well. However, both Boubacar Troure and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa are relatively new additions.
Should Bleacher Report be correct in its assessment of who goes where, the quartet of Notre Dame players would equal the first time since 1993 that so many Irish players went in the first round.
That year, quarterback Rick Mirer was the No. 2 pick by the Seattle Seahawks. Jerome Bettis was the No. 10 pick for the Rams, cornerback Tom Carter went to Washington at No. 17, and tight end Irv Smith went at No. 20 to New Orleans.
CJ Carr, Leonard Moore, Boubacar Traore and Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa fuel Notre Dame draft buzz
This time around, Bleacher Report has Carr going to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 8, Moore selected immediately after his quarterback at No. 9 to the Saints, Traore at No. 25 to the Detroit Lions, and Viliamu-Asa not long after him at No. 27 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
It’s not hard to see why the Falcons might look to Carr to step under center in Atlanta, and the only surprise about Moore going in the first round is that Bleacher Report believes he’d last until the ninth pick. There’s a bit more intrigue in Traore going so high, but it turns out he could be a perfect fit to complement budding all-world defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
“The idea of the Detroit Lions truly upgrading at defensive end by finding a long-term bookend opposite the squad's talented edge-rusher has been in play for nearly a decade. It dates back to Ziggy Ansah's time with the team. Now, Aidan Hutchinson is looking for a capable running mate.”
“Notre Dame's Boubacar Troure brings natural bend and athleticism off the edge to provide the type of skill sets that fit well as a rotational pass-rusher option early in his career, with the potential to develop into an every-down defender.”
As for Viliamu-Asa going two picks later to the Chargers, Bleacher Report believes the Irish linebacker is the best in the draft class.
“Notre Dame's Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is coming off a torn ACL, though he can quickly regain his status once he's back on the field. The 20-year-old prospect is a smooth athlete capable of being used all over the field. Viliamu-Asa triggers quickly, plays downhill, finishes upon first contact and even rushes off the edge situationally. He can be another position-less chess piece in the Chargers' defense.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google