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2019 All-Opponent/Notre Dame Team - Defense

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Notre Dame senior Julian Okwara (pictured) combines with Khalid Kareem to give Notre Dame one of the nation's top end units.
Notre Dame senior Julian Okwara (pictured) combines with Khalid Kareem to give Notre Dame one of the nation's top end units. (Photo by Angela Driskell)
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When you look at grades for Notre Dame's returners and stack them up against the opponents on the 2019 schedule, the Irish offense stacks up well. The Irish defense, however, really shines.

Below is the All-Opponent Plus Notre Dame team for defense, which is based on Pro Football Focus grades from 2018. Eligible players are any that played at least 300 snaps last season.

Here is the first team:

Notre Dame leads all teams with there selections on the first team, including both end positions. Fighting Irish safety Alohi Gilman is the highest graded player on the list, which should not be a surprise considering he was a Pro Football Focus All-American last season. Gilman is the No. 1 ranked returning safety in the country.

Khalid Kareem earning a higher grade than Julian Okwara was a surprise, especially since Okwara had a better run-stop percentage and pass-rush success rate than did Kareem. The positive for the Irish, however, is that both ends in this debate play for them.

Georgia and Virginia both finished with two players on the list while four other teams had just one player to earn this spot.

The grades above show that Notre Dame faces a number of very talented secondary players in 2019.

Notre Dame had a third end make this list, with senior Daelin Hayes coming in on the second team. Hayes finishing with a lower grade than Christian Rector (USC) was a bit surprising considering Hayes had a better run-stop rate and their pass rush success rate was equal.

It should be noted that Georgia end Malik Herring would have made the second team list had he qualified from a reps standpoint. He was just 39 snaps away from qualifying.

Georgia is the only team to have a player make the list on all three levels (defensive line, linebackers, secondary).

Notre Dame, Georgia and Clemson are the only three Power 5 teams to return two safeties to rank in the Pro Football Focus Top 15 at the position.

All three of Notre Dame's returning starters in the secondary were named to the list. In fact, all but one of Notre Dame's returning starters (Asmar Bilal) was named to the list, and Bilal was just a point away from being on the list at linebacker.

Notre Dame's six players on the defensive list topped all schools in the discussion. Georgia was next with four, Virginia had three and no other team had more than two.

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