NFL Combine: Notre Dame’s Jack Coan and Kevin Austin impress with 40 times

The 2022 NFL Combine is underway, and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have already produced a couple of pleasant surprises.

Jack Coan

Quarterback Jack Coan was never known for his feet during his time with the Irish or with the Wisconsin Badgers. He wasn’t exactly the prototypical read-option quarterback if you know what I mean. If someone would have offered an over/under of 5 seconds as a Jack Coan 40 time at the combine, I would have to imagine that most people would take the over.

And that is why you’re broke.

Jack Coan isn’t going to be asked to run on the relay team in the Olympics — or the bobsled team for that matter — but he’s going to get picked up in the NFL Draft as big quarterback that can deliver accurate passes. The sub 5.0 forty time is just gravy on top of the mashed potatoes of life.

Lacrosse Bro Jack Coan... he’s athletic enough.

Kevin Austin

Kevin Austin’s decision to leave Notre Dame with a year of eligibility on the table seemed idiotic to some. His detractor’s believed that he would enter the draft as a “dime a dozen” and was indistinguishable as a college receiver looking for a place in the league — and most importantly he ran the risk of being undrafted.

He made sure that his 40 time was distinguishable enough.

The worst take from all of this is to start heaping blame at Del Alexander. It’s just stupid to state “Notre Dame should have got more from Austin but Del screwed this all up.” Austin had suspensions and injuries and only had one real season — and that was last year when he caught 48 passes for 888 yards and 7 touchdowns. Kevin’s biggest impediment at Notre Dame was Kevin, and he should be applauded for his development rather than throwing rocks at Alexander.

Austin still runs a risk of going undrafted, but with his combine performance, he’s making a much better case for himself.

Good for him.