The 5 greatest Notre Dame football NFL Draft “hidden gems” since 2000
The 2024 NFL Draft is approaching and beyond just Joe Alt, Notre Dame has plenty of potential late-round picks that could turn into stars. Maybe Sam Hartman, Cam Hart, or Audric Estime will be the next "hidden gem."
By Josh Yourish
UDFA. Romeo Okwara, DE. 31. . 2016. 3. Romeo Okwara. . Romeo Okwara, DE. player
Okwara was a gem hidden so deeply that he went undrafted in 2016 after a season with 13.5 sacks for Notre Dame. Typically a year like that would get you on the radar, but Okwara slipped through the cracks.
The Giants picked him up as a UDFA and he recorded just one sack across 22 games in two seasons. The league seemed correct on Okwara’s evaluation, but Detroit gave him another chance, and in 15 games in 2018, he posted 7.5 sacks, 14 QB hits, and eight tackles for loss.
Okwara spent the rest of his career with the Lions and in 2020 had a career-high 10 sacks. He announced his retirement after 2023 and finished his career with 25 total sacks in 92 career games.