Captain America.
That's what Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris called former Notre Dame linebacker JD Bertrand after his team selected him Saturday in the fifth round with overall pick No. 143 of this year's NFL Draft.
“That guy is the definition of the makeup," Morris told reporters Saturday. "Captain America himself. He’s going to be able to come in here and contribute in all types of ways. Just who he’s been and what he’s been throughout his career.
"To get into the player a little bit, because I gotta brag on him. His process, for us, was such a good process. When you talked to him and talked about his daily rhythm and routine that he formulated for himself in college and in the offseason. I guarantee he’s going to be one of those guys we’re going to have to come in here and try to pull him back a little bit just to restart him to get him going again, so he doesn’t hurt himself.
"I’m sure you’ll see him on any phase that we ask him to play, whether that be kicking or defense. I mean, this guy might volunteer for offense. Who knows?”
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The 6-1, 235-pound Bertrand navigated the pre-draft process while recovering from a torn plantar fascia in his right foot. The injury occurred during practices for the Senior Bowl, but he played through the pain to record three tackles and one for a loss in the game itself on Feb. 3 in Mobile, Ala.
But Bertrand was forced to miss workout opportunities at the NFL Scouting Combine and Notre Dame's Pro Day. He didn't even work out for the Falcons when he was invited to a local day for prospects who live near Atlanta. Bertrand calls Atlanta suburb Alpharetta, Ga., his hometown and attended Roswell's Blessed Trinity Catholic High School.
“I really wanted to work out," Bertrand said in a video conference Saturday, "because I really think I would have showed a lot of people numbers that maybe would not have expected from me. I think I would have tested really well.”
Bertrand, who led Notre Dame in tackles each of the last three seasons, still managed to impress Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot in his meetings with the team.
"You talk about a smart, instinctive football player, the character, the makeup," Fontenot said Saturday. "He’s a four-down player, because what he can do as a run defender, in coverage and also what he can do in the kicking game, which is critical when we’re drafting everybody.”
Bertrand signed with Notre Dame in the 2019 class after a previous commitment to Georgia. Rivals rated Bertrand as a three-star recruit and ranked him as the No. 27 inside linebacker in the class.
Bertrand played primarily on special teams in his first two years with Notre Dame. When he became a starter as a junior in 2021, Bertrand made his impact felt immediately. He tallied a career-high 101 tackles in 13 starts.
The two-time captain continued to lead the defense in tackles with 82 in 2022 and 76 in 2023. He totaled 23 tackles for loss, including six sacks, nine pass breakups and two forced fumbles in his last three seasons with the Irish.
Bertrand's parents used to make a 10-hour drive up to Notre Dame to see him play. Now they'll have much shorter travel even when there's bad traffic.
“I couldn’t imagine a better situation, a better scenario," Bertrand said. "I have an awesome support group at home, so to be close to them and be able to make the travel easy for my family, just be able to have a community that has supported me through high school, through college and now be able to have the opportunity to play for them at the NFL level, I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Bertrand became the fifth former Notre Dame player drafted this year behind offensive tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher, linebacker Marist Liufau and cornerback Cam Hart.The Los Angeles Chargers picked Alt with the No. 5 overall pick in the first round Thursday night and Hart in the fifth round on Saturday. The Houston Texans drafted Fisher in the second round, and Liufau went in the third round to the Dallas Cowboys on Friday night.
Seven Notre Dame players ended up being drafted when running back Audric Estimé (fifth round) and defensive end Javontae Jean-Baptiste (seventh round) heard their names called after Bertrand.
With Bertrand and Liufau off the board, Notre Dame had two linebackers selected in the same draft for the first time since 2002 when the Tennessee Titans picked Rocky Boiman in the second round and the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Tyreo Harrison in the sixth round.
Prior to this year, the last three Notre Dame linebackers drafted found early success in the NFL: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (2021) with the Cleveland Browns, Drue Tranquill (2019) with the Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs and Jaylon Smith (2016) with the Dallas Cowboys. All three were selected in the first four rounds.
Bertrand joins former Notre Dame defensive end Adetokunbo Ogundeji on Atlanta's roster. Ogundeji, a fifth-round pick in 2021, started 27 games in his first two seasons with the Falcons. He missed all of the 2023 season with an ankle/foot injury.
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