Three Notre Dame Players To Attend NFL Combine
Three former Notre Dame players will represent the Irish at the NFL Combine.
Quarterback DeShone Kizer, defensive tackle Jarron Jones and defensive end Isaac Rochell were included on the list of combine participants released by the NFL on Wednesday.
Kizer is projected as a first- or second-round draft selection, among the top quarterbacks by most analysts. NFL.com's Mike Mayock ranked the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Kizer as his top quarterback in the draft.
Whether Kizer will go through the throwing portion of the combine is unknown. Some top quarterback prospects choose to skip those drills and instead throw at their school's pro day.
Jones was at times Notre Dame’s best defensive player in 2016. The 6-foot-6, 315-pounder had 45 tackles, two sacks and a team-high 11 tackles for loss as a fifth-year senior. He had a dominant game against Miami, recording seven tackles, including six for a loss and one sack.
The 6-4, 290-pound Rochell had 55 tackles, one sack and seven tackles for loss as a senior team captain. He was Notre Dame’s lone participant in the Senior Bowl last month.
Cornerback Cole Luke, running back Tarean Folston and linebacker James Onwualu were not invited to the combine. All are projected as late-round selections.
Ten former Notre Dame players got invitations last year, which ranked second in the nation behind Ohio State, which landed a remarkable 14.
In 2015, three former Irish players participated in the combine while nine traveled to Indianapolis in 2014. Following Kelly’s first three seasons, Notre Dame landed invites for three, six and eight players, respectively.
The 2017 NFL Draft will be held April 27-29 in Philadelphia.
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