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NFL Draft: Notre Dame has a HUGE day 2 with an insane stat

Well that was fun

By Joshua Vowles
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: JAN 30 Senior Bowl Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After a disappointing 1st round in the NFL Draft for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, day two was much, much better. The disrespect of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, and as the 2nd round went on — it was still there because Wu was still undrafted.

Very quickly, however, things got turned around with one pick after another until it became 5 picks overall — with all 5 being in the top 100.

#42 to the Miami Dolphins — OL Liam Eichenberg

#48 to the San Francisco 49ers — OL Aaron Banks

#52 to the Cleveland Browns — LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah

#83 to the Carolina Panthers — TE Tommy Tremble

#95 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — OL Robert Hainsey

It was a sensational night for the program, and something that they have continued to build on since Brian Kelly arrived in South Bend in 2010. The Irish are tied for 4th overall with the most draft selections in the top 100 of the NFL Draft over the past 10 years.

So... recruiting... they aren’t nearly as bad at it as some would like to suggest. Yes, yes, I know that there are a lot of nuances to the whole thing — but that’s still really damn good.

But it’s not insane.

The insane stat of the night is what the Irish are doing on the offensive line, and why it’s such a question mark for Notre Dame in 2021. Notre Dame had three linemen drafted in the first 100 picks, which is the first time a school has had that happen in the draft since 2001 — and before that — you’d have to go all the way back to 1982.

Notre Dame has a real shot to have the most players selected in the Brian Kelly era with 9 as we get into rounds 4-7 on Saturday. Irish players still available:

  • QB Ian Book
  • DE Ade Ogundeji
  • DE Daelin Hayes
  • OL Tommy Kraemer
  • CB Nick McCloud
  • TE Brock Wright
  • WR Ben Skowronek
  • WR Javon McKinley
  • DB Shaun Crawford

While a bigger percentage of those guys are likely headed down the UDFA route, four more draft picks is a real possibility.

You can listen to my quick draft recap in the podcast player below, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

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