Irish Links: NFL Draft Day is Here

DRAFT DAY

The NFL Draft will commence at 8pm ET on Thursday night. Only one former Notre Dame player has a real shot of being drafted tonight, and as we all know that is DeShone Kizer.

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Kizer’s name has been tossed around a lot in the past week. From self-proclaiming that he has the mind of Tom Brady and the body of Cam Newton, to being called a “true millennial” by NFL execs, Kizer has been the talk among quarterbacks.

For all this talk though, there seems to be a general consensus that Kizer’s stock could be falling. I’ve been thinking for quite sometime now that, that might be the best thing for him. If he could slip into the second round and get drafted by a team with an established QB, someone he could sit behind and develop for a year or two, that could be the most beneficial in the long run.

Some other former Notre Dame players to keep your eye on throughout the draft are Jarron Jones, Isaac Rochell, Cole Luke and James Onwualu.

Matt Ryan transfers to Vanderbilt

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Former Notre Dame basketball player Matt Ryan announced he would transfer to Vanderbilt on Tuesday. Most expected Ryan to become a more prominent player next season for Mike Brey after seeing more minutes late in the year, but Ryan apparently wanted a fresh start.

Vanderbilt should be a good fit for a sharp shooter like Ryan. This past season under first year coach Bryce Drew, the Commodores ranked in the top 65 in three-point percentage, and also in the top 20 in three-point attempts per game. Ryan will sit out next season, and will be eligible to play in the fall of 2018.

Men’s lacrosse ready to start the ACC Tournament

The seventh ranked Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team will travel to Durham this weekend begin ACC Tournament play. The Irish fell to Duke last year in the first round of the tournament, and sure enough that is who the Irish will get this season.

Duke is ranked third nationally and has already taken down the Irish once this season. The Blue Devils have been a thorn in Notre Dame’s side the past few seasons. The Irish are just 5-7 against them since 2011, including an 0-3 mark in the ACC tourney.

Irish baseball is going streaking!

The Notre Dame baseball team shutout the Eastern Michigan Eagles on Wednesday nigh, as they dispatched EMU by a score of 5-0. Matt Vierling, the teams leading hitter, crushed a homer, collected three hits and drove in three runs.

The Irish have now won two in a row, and three of their last four. They now stand at 20-22 and sit at sixth in the ACC Coastal division. The Irish will host Duke this weekend, who happens to have a similar record to the Irish. The Blue Devils are 21-21 and 8-13 in the ACC. If the Irish can have a winning weekend, it would help tremendously in regards to seeding in the ACC tourney.