What Draft Analysts Are Saying About Irish Players Heading Into NFL Combine

With the NFL Draft just over two months away, scouts still have a lot of information to collect in determining the order of their final draft boards.

The next step in the process is the NFL Combine, which officially begins on Sunday and runs through Monday, March 2.

How several former Notre Dame players perform next week could prove to be critical in where they get drafted. As most NFL Mock Drafts stand right now, the Fighting Irish don't have a surefire first-round pick. This includes Cole Kmet, generally considered the best tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft class.

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For instance, ESPN NFL Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr., considered a guru in the industry, recently released his 2020 NFL Mock Draft 2.0 for the first round, and no former Notre Dame players made the cut.

But that doesn't mean he and other analysts aren't high on Notre Dame prospects (including Kiper, a Polish Catholic and self-proclaimed fan of both the Fighting Irish and head coach Brian Kelly).

In fact, six players have a solid chance of going in the first three rounds.

After deciding to leave Notre Dame after his junior year, Cole Kmet is widely considered the best tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft, but that doesn't mean he'll be a first-round pick.

Many analysts, including Kiper and Dane Brugler of The Athletic, don't have a tight end going in the first round, but that could change if Kmet shows well at the NFL Combine next week, especially when it comes to his 40-yard dash.

"Cole Kmet is the most interesting for me as far as the first round," Kiper said. "I had him in there earlier and took him out. The question about speed will be answered at the combine pro day. If he runs in the 4.7s, he's in the first-round discussion. A 4.8 puts him in the second round area."

Other analysts already have Kmet penciled in for the first round. Scott Wright of Draft Countdown foresees getting scooped up by the New England Patriots with the No. 23 overall pick, but this could be assuming he runs a strong 40-yard dash.

When it comes to his NFL Draft stock, Julian Okwara is an enigma.

Kiper saw Okwara as a clear-cut second-round pick before his injury. Now he could fall to the third round. Wright has him as the No. 9 outside linebacker, especially since the fractured left fibula Okwara suffered against Duke on Nov. 9 will likely prevent him showing off his best attributes at the combine next week — his speed and agility.

Other analysts are really high on Okwara and his potential. Many saw him as a potential top-10 pick heading into the 2019 season, and some still see him going in the first round.

Sports Illustrated's Kevin Hanson believes that the Seattle Seahawks — a team in desperate need of a pass rush — might even take a flyer on Okwara with the No. 27 overall pick.

"Only the Dolphins recorded fewer sacks (23) than the Seahawks (28) in 2019 and both Jadeveon Clowney and Ezekiel Ansah are potential free agents," Hanson wrote. "Okwara’s season was cut short (fibula) and he has lacked consistency, but he’s a long and explosive athlete that racked up 13.5 sacks and 19.5 TFL in 22 games over the past two seasons."

This is a historic draft class when it comes to high-end wide receiver talent. Kiper believes that as many as 25 receivers going in the first three and a half rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The good news for Chase Claypool is there are very few other big-bodied wide receivers (at least 6-4 and 220 pounds). His main competition in this category is former USC wider receiver Michael Pittman.

He gets a lot of comparisons to fellow former Notre Dame wide receiver Miles Boykin, a third-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2019 NFL Draft. But if Claypool can run a low 4.4 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine like Boykin did last year, he should prove to be an even better prospect and could sneak in the second round.

Ever since his Senior Bowl performance, Troy Pride Jr.'s Draft stock has gone through the roof. He went from a player many perceived to be a day-three pick (last four rounds) to someone that most teams would love to take in the second round.

And that all happened before the NFL Combine, where Pride's speed should shine and could catapult him into the second round.

"Troy pride Jr., he should be able to showcase 4.3 speed, had a good Senior Bowl week," Kiper said. "By the time we get to late April, I think Troy Pride could be a solid second-round draft choice."

But Pride is adamant that he can run in the 4.2s. If that happens, then this once underrated prospect will be the talk of the town.

We haven't heard much from Khalid Kareem since the 2019 season ended. He chose not to participate in post-season all-star games, so his NFL Combine performance and interview skills will be important.

Right now, it appears he could go as high as the second round, but he will most likely go in the third.

Pro Football Focus is particularly high on the former Fighting Irish defensive end and have him as the No. 61 overall prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft class.

But according to his ESPN NFL Draft Profile, he's more of a mid-round pick:

"Kareem, a true senior, has an NFL frame with good length. Everything stems off power as a pass-rusher. He shoots his hands inside, drives and flashes the ability to shed at the top of the rush. He's an above-average hand fighter. He's not an explosive or flexible speed rusher. He has the length and strength to set the edge when he keeps his pads down. He flashes the ability to shed in time to make plays.

"He's a strong wrap-up tackler. Kareem grades out as a rotational defensive end with the frame to develop into an effective starter in time, and he projects as a mid-round pick."

Alohi Gilman was unable to participate in a majority of Senior Bowl activities due to an injury he suffered during a practice for the post-season all-star game.

Still, Gilman was able to show off his speed and was rated as one of the fastest players at the Senior Bowl.

At this point, Gilman is pretty much guaranteed to be an NFL Draft pick, but the question is how high will he go?

Most likely, he will be taken on day three, but some analysts could see him sneaking into the third round. Chad Reuter of NFL.com has Gilman as the No. 74 overall pick by the Cleveland Browns.

This might seem like a stretch for the undersize safety but when it comes to the Browns, anything is possible and Gilman should be a valuable addition to any team, as he can contribute to the back end of a defense, on special teams and as a positive presence in the locker room.

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