2019 All-Opponent/Notre Dame Team - Offense
Heading into the season its good to get a look at the top returning players that Notre Dame will face in 2019, and how Notre Dame's roster stacks up.
Below is the All-Opponent Plus Notre Dame team, 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:
Pro Football Focus is very high on Shea Patterson, which is a bit of a head scratcher. Patterson's numbers were decent (64.6 completion percent, 2,600 pass yards, 24 total touchdowns, 7 INT's), but they don't stack up to those of Jake Fromm of Georgia (67.3%, 2,749 yards, 30 TD's, 6 INT's), KJ Costello of Stanford (65.1%, 3,540 yards, 29 TD's, 11 INT's) or Bryce Perkins of Virginia (64.5%, 2,680 pass yards, 923 rush yards, 34 total TD's, 9 INT's).
Patterson was one of two players from Michigan to make the first team.
Georgia had three players on the list, including a pair of offensive lineman and a running back - D'Andre Swift - that rushed for 1,049 yards (6.4 YPC) and 10 TD's a season ago. Junior left tackle Andrew Thomas is a preseason All-American.
Virginia Tech had a pair of wide receivers on the list, which is why I speak so highly of their returning pass catchers.
Notre Dame having two offensive linemen on the list, and Michigan not having any (only one on the second team) is one of many reasons why I object to prognosticators that say the Wolverines have a better returning offensive line than does Notre Dame.
Costello threw for more yards (3,540) than any quarterback on Notre Dame's schedule.
Redshirt sophomore tackle Isaiah Wilson made the second team, and he's one of three Georgia linemen on the list. Sophomore Cade Mays could have been on this list based on his grade and the fact he played enough snaps to meet the requirements, but he's not projected to be a starter for Georgia this season, so I left him off.
Georgia, Michigan and USC all had four players on the list.
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