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."

Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone tackles L.A. Rams running back Kyren Williams / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

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2022. Kyren Williams, RB. Kyren Williams. . Round: 5 Pick: 164. 2. Kyren Williams, RB. 51. player.

The LA Rams essentially traded away every first-round pick they had to win a Super Bowl and it paid off in 2022, but it also forced general manager Les Snead to get very good at identifying talent late in the draft. Kyren Williams might be the best example of that.

As a rookie in 2022, Williams wasn’t very involved, only rushing the ball 35 times in 10 games, but in Year 2, he exploded. Williams played 12 games as LA’s featured running back and amassed 1,144 yards on the ground (95.3 per game) and 15 total touchdowns (12 rushing and three receiving).

Williams still has a lot of years left to play in the league, but getting one year of elite production out of a fifth-round pick makes him a “hidden gem” and one of the better fifth-round selections in recent history.

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