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2019 NFL Draft: Notre Dame DT Jerry Tillery gets drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers

Tillery is first Irish defensive tackle taken in round one since 1994.

Jerry Tillery notre dame
Jerry Tillery
Mike Miller/One Foot Down

Jerry Tillery, a defensive tackle who clogged middles and generally wreaked havoc on Notre Dame Fighting Irish opponents, was selected 28th overall by the Los Angeles Chargers.

The 6-foot-6, 295 pound Shreveport product will make an instant impact with the Chargers, as the club currently employs only three defensive tackles.

Tillery’s four-year rookie contract will be worth $11,422,088, according to Over the Cap. Of that, $6,326,972 will be paid as a signing bonus. He also helps Notre Dame break a 25-year-old drought of having a defensive tackle not selected in the first round. Tillery is the first interior defensive lineman since Bryant Young was picked seventh overall in the 1994 NFL Draft.

The Chargers already have a former Notre Dame player on their roster: defensive end Isaac Rochell, who the team drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Congratulations and kudos arrived on Twitter immediately after the pick:

Kelly has had nine players drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft, and at least once in six of the last eight years. Notre Dame has also had a player drafted for 81 consecutive years, if the supplemental draft is counted. If it’s not, the Irish have had one picked for the last 41 years.

Read more from Bolts from the Blue, SB Nation’s Chargers site.