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The Baltimore Ravens have selected former Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive end Daelin Hayes in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Hayes was picked No. 171 overall and was the seventh Notre Dame player to be selected in this year’s draft.
So blessed to be Baltimore Raven Baby pic.twitter.com/5QXuAW3rPa
— Daelin Hayes (@DaelinHayes_IX) May 1, 2021
Hayes’ rookie contract will be worth $3.77 million, with $293,216 being given as a signing bonus.
The team captain, a former four-star recruit, played in 53 games for the Irish, registering 95 total tackles (54 solo, 41 assisted). He also racked up 20 1⁄2 tackles for loss (nine sacks), one interception, forced three fumbles and recovered five others.
In addition to his on-field success, Hayes also established himself as a voice against racial injustice. He was a prominent speaker at last year’s Juneteenth convocation at Notre Dame.
Hayes has suffered from injuries in both shoulders, which started in high school. But his quick reads and quick steps have been enough, apparently, to impress the Ravens.
Todd McShay on Daelin Hayes: "This past year, he finally turned it on. The light bulb came on. What I loved about him beyond the production, he's always disrupting. Whether it was from inside, outside, hand in the dirt, dropping in coverage. ... He's one of the steals on Day 3."
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) May 1, 2021
The Ravens have drafted seven Irish players previously and two are still on the team: Miles Boykin, who was drafted in 2019 and Ronnie Stanley, who was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. They also picked Tom Zbikowski, Gerome Sapp, Anthony Weaver and Javin Hunter.
For more on the Ravens, visit Baltimore Beatdown.