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Notre Dame 2018 NFL Draft Summary

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Wideout Equanimeous St. Brown was selected in the sixth round by Green Bay.
Wideout Equanimeous St. Brown was selected in the sixth round by Green Bay. (Bill Panzica)
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Through eight NFL drafts now in the Brian Kelly era, a total of 33 Notre Dame players have been selected, or an average of four per year.

That four was the exact number reached this weekend, and the high mark occurred in 2014 with eight (two of them as juniors).

Here is the summary plus a little Notre Dame history on the teams that selected the Fighting Irish players:


Guard Quenton Nelson — First Round (No. 6)

Team:Indianapolis.

Nelson became the first player ever selected in the first round by this franchise, which in 1984 moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Overall, he is the 13th Fighting Irish player drafted by Indianapolis, and the first since punter Hunter Smith in 1999.

Notable Fact:For the second time in three years, a Notre Dame player was the first offensive lineman selected in the NFL Draft, with Nelson joining fellow No. 6 pick and left tackle Ronnie Stanley (2016).

Also, since the turn of the 21st century, Nelson is the highest selected “true” guard in the NFL Draft, topping North Carolina No. 7 pick Jonathan Cooper in 2013.

It has been publicized that Texas' Leonard Davis — the No. 2 pick in 2001 — is the highest guard ever selected. While Davis did make his mark in the NFL at guard, he started at left tackle his last two seasons with the Longhorns.

Same with Virginia’s Jim Dombrowski in 1986 (No. 6 pick) and Pitt’s Bill Fralic in 1985 (No. 2). Both were listed as guard selections, but they started at tackle during their collegiate careers, much like current Dallas star Zack Martin, who is an All-Pro guard for the Cowboys but started at left tackle for the Irish from 2010-13.


Top Three Notre Dame Players To Play For Indianapolis:

1. Punter Hunter Smith —Outstanding 10-year career from 1999-08 included a Super Bowl win.

2. Corner Jeff Burris —Started all 61 games he played for the Colts from 1998-01, recording 247 tackles and 10 interceptions (two for TDs).

3. Running Back Anthony Johnson —Second-round pick of Colts played four years for them (1990-93), rushing for 1,017 yards and catching 151 passes.


Tackle Mike McGlinchey — First Round (No. 9)

Team: San Francisco.

The 21st Notre Dame player ever drafted by the 49ers, and the first since outside linebacker Darius Fleming in 2012 (fifth round).

He also is the fourth Irish chosen in the fourth round by San Francisco, joining tight end Monty Stickles (No. 11 in 1960), tight end Ken MacAfee (No. 7 in 1978) and defensive lineman Bryant Young (No. 7 in 1994).

Overall, Nelson and McGlinchey became the 15th and 16th first-round offensive line picks from Notre Dame.

Finally, all eight seasons under Kelly (2010-17) have had a first-round pick lining up for him at left tackle: Martin (2010-13), Stanley (2014-15) and McGlinchey (2016-17).

Notable Fact: Nelson and McGlinchey were the first two offensive linemen from the same school to be selected in the same draft, a first since 1991 with Tennessee’s Charles McRae (No. 7) and Antone Davis (No. 8). It was only the third time the past 60 years the top two offensive linemen picks were from the same school, and third time the past 50 years that two offensive linemen from the same school were chosen among the top 10 selections of the draft.

Top Three Notre Dame Players To Play For San Francisco:

1. Quarterback Joe Montana —That was a tough one, wasn’t it? The eight-time Pro Bowl pick was also 4-0 in the Super Bowl, earning MVP three times.

2. Defensive lineman Bryant Young —The UPI NFL Rookie of the Year for the 1995 Super Bowl champs, the four-time Pro Bowl pick had a Hall-of-Fame-caliber 14-year career, including the NFL All-Decade Team of the 1990s.

3. Tight end Monty Stickles —Labeled the dirtiest player in the NFL in his time, Stickles started all but nine games in his eight years with the franchise from 1960-67, catching 202 passes and 16 scores. An argument also can be made for Ricky Watters’ productive three-year career from 1992-94.


Tight End Durham Smythe — Fourth Round (No. 123 overall)

Team: Miami.

He became the 10th Notre Dame player ever drafted by the Dolphins and first since Shawn Wooden in the sixth round of the 1996 draft.

Notable Fact: Beginning with Anthony Fasano in 2006, Smythe is the seventh-straight Notre Dame starting tight end and 29th overall to get selected in the NFL Draft. He is the 16th Irish tight end to get chosen among the top four rounds.

Top Three Notre Dame Players To Play For Miami:

1. Linebacker Nick Buoniconti — Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee was the ringleader of the "No-Name" defense that led Miami to the 1972 and 1973 Super Bowl titles, the former with the lone perfect record (17-0) in NFL history. He had a 15-year AFL-NFL career.

2. Guard Bob Kuechenberg —Worthy Hall of Fame candidate who made the Pro Bowl six times during his 14 years with the organization (1970-83), highlighted by the aforementioned Super Bowl titles in 1972 and 1973.

3. Center Tim Ruddy —Second-round pick started all 140 games from 1995-2003, mostly hiking the ball to quarterback Dan Marino, and earning a Pro Bowl selection himself.

Twelve-year veteran Fasano is a worthy honorable mention pick. His best season were with the Dolphins from 2008-12, when he started all 76 games and snared 176 passes, 23 of them touchdowns. He rejoined the franchise last year and had six starts, catching 12 passes (one for a score).


Wide Receiver Equanimeous St. Brown — Sixth Round (No. 207 overall)

Team: Green Bay.

St. Brown is the 27th Notre Dame player ever drafted by the Packers and first since Brennan Curtin in the sixth round of the 2003 draft.

Notable Fact: Starting with Raghib “Rocket” Ismail in 1991, St. Brown joined teammate Josh Adams this year as the 15th and 16th Notre Dame players to declare for the NFL Draft after their junior year academically.

Top Three Notre Dame Players To Play For Green Bay:

1t. Halfback Paul Hornung —A member of both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame, his name is synonymous with the Packers dynasty in the 1960s under head coach Vince Lombardi.

1t. Halfback Earl “Curly” Lambeau —The founder of the Packers, whom he played for from 1921-29, the stadium does bear his name, which should account for a lot.

3. Running back Ryan Grant —No. 2 overall pick in 1970 Mike McCoy had a quality career at defensive tackle from 1970-76, but Grant was a little more impactful. He became one of the NFL’s premier backs from 2007-09, finishing with 956, 1,203 and 1,253 yards rushing in those respective years, not including a 201-yard effort in a 2007 playoff victory. An ankle injury sidelined him during the 2010 Super Bowl run, but he returned to the Packers in 2012.

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