Former Notre Dame quarterback Jack Coan helped himself enough during the week of the East-West Shrine Bowl last month to coax an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine, March 1-7 in Indianapolis.
Four other former Irish NFL Draft hopefuls were among the 324 players who will get to participate in the premier pre-draft showcase that includes physical testing, interviews, medical checks and a weigh-in/measurement phase.
Junior early entries Kyle Hamilton, an All-America safety and projected first-round pick, and Kyren Williams, among the top-rated running backs, are Notre Dame’s highest-ranked prospects in this draft cycle.
They and Coan will be joined by wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. and defensive end Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa at the combine, an in-person event this year after a quasi-virtual format in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
ND’s other players chasing the NFL dream will have to wait until the school’s pro day later in the spring to show off in front of league scouts, coaches, general managers and personnel types. That group includes defensive tackle Kurt Hinish, offensive tackle Cain Madden, linebacker Drew White, rover Isaiah Pryor and kicker Jonathan Doerer.
Coan is one of 16 quarterbacks who received invitations. National champion Georgia has the most invited prospects with 14, followed by Alabama and Oklahoma with 11 each.
The Irish had 11 invites last year — the most they’ve had in the 2000s — when the combine was merged with pro days on individual campuses last spring. Nine ND players ended up getting drafted in 2021, the largest ND contingent since 10 were taken in the 1994 draft.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Talk with Notre Dame fans on The Insider Lounge.
• Subscribe to the Inside ND Sports Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, SoundCloud, Podbean or Pocket Casts.
• Follow us on Twitter: @insideNDsports, @EHansenND and @TJamesND.
• Like us on Facebook: Inside ND Sports
• Follow us on Instagram: @insideNDsport
