2021 NFL Draft Preview: How Many Notre Dame Players Will Be Picked?
Notre Dame’s 2021 draft should, at the very least, tie some early 21st century mark.
The worst-case scenario for the Irish in this week’s NFL Draft feels like six players hearing their names called this weekend. Even with that low a number, the program would have six players selected in three straight drafts for the first time since 2001-03 (and just the second time since the draft shrunk to seven rounds in 1994).
What’s the maximum? Perhaps 10. That would tie the 1994 draft for the most in team history in the seven-round era. The most likely? Seven or eight.
Here’s a Notre Dame-related draft primer with dates, times, TV information, players most likely to picked early and players who could go late and drive up the team’s total draftee count this year.
2021 NFL Draft
When: Thursday, April 29 through Saturday, May 1
Where: Cleveland, Ohio (the draft returns to an in-person event)
Round 1: Thursday, 8 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN, NFL Network)
Rounds 2-3: Friday, 7 p.m. ET (ABC, ESPN, NFL Network)
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, noon ET (ABC, ESPN, NFL Network)
Notre Dame Mock Draft Buzz
BlueandGold.com has been tracking Notre Dame players’ appearances in mocks heading into Thursday. Catch up on the tracker and the latest projections here.
Early Round Candidates
Anyone other than linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah becoming Notre Dame’s first player drafted this year would be a shock. The 2020 Butkus Award winner is a projected first-rounder who is appearing in the top-20 in many mock drafts. He’s listed as a linebacker, but his future NFL team could use him in a variety of roles.
Owusu-Koramoah, a unanimous All-American in 2020, totaled 62 tackles (11.0 for loss) 1.5 sacks, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles and an interception last year.
Offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg has appeared at the end of the first round in a few mocks, but he’s viewed as more of a Day 2 selection. He is appearing in the top 50 on several outlets’ big boards and in the early-to-mid-second round of mock drafts.
If Eichenberg is picked on Thursday, he would extend Notre Dame’s first-round left tackle streak to four players. Those four started a combined 11 seasons for the Irish, spanning head coach Brian Kelly’s entire tenure. The prior three – Mike McGlinchey, Ronnie Stanley and Zack Martin – were all top-20 picks. Eichenberg took over for McGlinchey in 2018.
Mid-Round Picks
A few respected draft analysts have ranked tight end Tommy Tremble and guard Aaron Banks as top-100 players. Both have appeared in the late-second or third round of mocks, with Tremble usually ranked higher and appearing earlier.
Offensive lineman Robert Hainsey has popped up in the late-third round, but is outside the top 100 in most rankings. He was Notre Dame’s three-year starting right tackle, but is likely to move inside as a pro. He worked at tackle, guard and center when he participated in the Senior Bowl in January.
Filling Out The Draft Class
The final day of the draft is the hardest to peg because NFL teams’ draft boards become more unique as the event goes on. A fourth-rounder on one board may be outside the top 300 on another. All a prospect needs, though, is one team who likes him enough to draft him.
Prospect rankings and mock drafts have a wide range of opinions on quarterback Ian Book, defensive end Ade Ogundeji and defensive end Daelin Hayes. Some analysts predict they will be early Day 3 selections. Others see them as late-rounders who won’t be chosen until the 200s.
If Notre Dame has eight players drafted – tied for the most in the Kelly era (2014) – those three are the safest bets to get the Irish there, along with five near-locks.
Getting to 10 would require two of offensive lineman Tommy Kraemer, wide receiver Bennett Skowronek and cornerback Nick McCloud to get picked in the late rounds. The first two have appeared in more major-outlet seven-round mocks and top-250s than McCloud.
Will a 4.37 40-yard dash at Notre Dame’s pro day help McCloud’s case? One analyst who BlueandGold.com spoke with thinks it’s unlikely to make a difference, but that time ought to have made teams take a closer look at him.
Skowronek suffered a foot injury in January and could only practice one day at the Senior Bowl. He did not participate in most of the drills at Notre Dame’s Pro Day, which he had targeted pre-injury as a chance to show he’s faster than people think.
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