Ten Notre Dame Players Taken In SI All-Time NFL Mock Draft
In this week's July 24-31 edition of Sports Illustrated, 12 "general managers" comprised of top former league executives, players, writers and historians were selected to assemble their own 25-man team — 11 players on offense, 11 on defense, a kicker, a punter and a wild card — with an all-time mock draft.
Among those 300 players selected (25 times 12 is 300), 10 graduated from Notre Dame. In order, here is how they were chosen, with their years with the Fighting Irish in parentheses:
With the No. 11 overall pick … — Joe Montana (1974-78)
The first player taken was outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor, followed by defensive tackle Joe Greene, and then Johnny Unitas, the first quarterback selected in the draft.
Two other QBs were selected right before Montana, who was an eight-time Pro Bowl pick and two-time league MVP: Tom Brady (No. 9) and Otto Graham (No. 10).
No. 35 — Alan Page (1963-66)
Capable of lining up in the edge or interior, his nine Pro Bowls are tied with Tim Brown for the most ever by an Irish alumnus. He also was the 1971 MVP, a first for a defensive player in the league (the aforementioned Taylor was the other in 1986).
No. 134 — Dave Casper (1970-73)
In probably the greatest draft year ever for tight ends (1974), Casper was the sixth one taken with the No. 45 overall pick. Few ever combined the blocking, speed and pass-catching skills like The Ghost.
No. 178 — George Connor (1946-47)
He revolutionized the linebacker position in the NFL because although he was a lineman for two national champions at Notre Dame, his combination of speed, size and open-field tackling skills made the four-time All-Pro (also as an offensive tackle) among the game’s titans.
No. 182 — Paul Hornung (1953-56)
Hornung has referred to Connor as the greatest Notre Dame football player he’s ever seen, but many would contend it was the Golden Boy himself. The 1956 Heisman winner actually was listed as a kicker in this draft (with the versatility to help elsewhere on the roster).
No. 189 — Bryant Young (1990-93)
His No. 7 overall selection in the 1994 draft is the highest by a Notre Dame defensive lineman the past 41 years. The NFC Rookie of the Year played 14 seasons and was a first- or second-team All-Pro seven times.
No. 211 — Zack Martin (2009-2013)
It’s unbelievable that after only three years in the league he has become this esteemed already. Martin has been named an All-Pro guard twice while making the Pro Bowl all three years. In 2014 he was the first rookie offensive lineman to make All-Pro since Dick Huffman in 1947.
No. 273 — Bob Kuechenberg (1965-68)
A fourth-round pick in 1969 after lining up a defensive end for the Irish his last two seasons, he played one year of semi-pro football before becoming a six-time Pro Bowl pick at guard during a 14-year NFL career with the Miami Dolphins.
No. 274 — John Carney (1983-86)
Because all 25 teams were required to draft a kicker, the 24-year veteran was a sound choice at his position.
No. 286 — Tim Brown (1984-87)
Enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015, Brown is one of only six players from Notre Dame to make both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro. Four others are also listed among these 10: Page, Casper, Connor and Hornung. The sixth is 1933-35 end Wayne Millner.
Among those not drafted were offensive tackle George Kunz (1965-68) and running back Jerome Bettis (1990-92). Kunz is tied with Montana for third-most Pro Bowl selections by a Notre Dame alumnus with eight (behind Page and Brown), while Bettis joined Brown in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2015.
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