Published Mar 11, 2020
What NFL Draft Experts Are Saying About Notre Dame Prospects Post-Combine?
Andrew Mentock  •  InsideNDSports
Staff Writer
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@Andrew Mentock

The 2020 NFL Scouting Combine ended more than a week ago and, ever since, updated mock drafts from a host of experts have popped up on the internet.

Even after some excellent performances at the combine from former Notre Dame standouts such as wide receiver Chase Claypool and tight end Cole Kmet, no Fighting Irish player is consistently projected to go in the first round according to mock drafts.

For instance, Sports Illustrated, NFL.com, The Athletic and Yahoo! do not foresee any Notre Dame players going in the first round.

But could three go in the second round? That's what Bleacher Report is predicting.

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There are a countless number of mock drafts out there, but by looking at many of the recent projections from major outlets, here is a range of where Notre Dame's top NFL prospects could go in the upcoming draft.

Chase Claypool

Even after an excellent performance at the NFL Combine, where Claypool ran a 4.42-second 40-yard dash at 6-4 and 238 pounds, experts still seem to conflict on where the hulking wide receiver will get drafted, but the good news is that the projections are consistently higher than before. A few prognosticators even have Claypool as a first-round selection.

According to the Pro Football Focus Mock Draft 1.0 by Eric Eager and George Chahrouri released on Monday, Claypool will be taken with the No. 24 overall pick by the New Orleans Saints.

"No one loves the idea of an “offensive weapon” more than Sean Payton," Chahrouri wrote. "How would defenses combat facing both Claypool and Taysom Hill at the same time? Heads would likely explode. Claypool is some sort of receiver/tight end hybrid with freaky athleticism and solid production as a receiver in college.

"The Saints could use a burner to stretch the field, and while Claypool isn't the obvious choice, he might just be the most intriguing."

Over the last week, the three different draft analysts for CBS Sports have each released their projects, with Pete Prisco expecting Claypool to go even higher and be the No. 22 overall selection by the Buffalo Bills.

Often mock drafts do not go beyond the first round but in the projections that do, most have Claypool going in the mid-to-late second round, including a different article from Pro Football Focus that has him as the No. 60 overall selection by the Baltimore Ravens.

"Considering he ran a 4.42 40-yard dash and posted a 40.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-6 broad jump, Claypool would make a scary tight end at the next level," Anthony Treash wrote. "And we all know how much Baltimore loves tight ends. He’s not going to create separation by any means, but he routinely will win in tight coverage.

"Claypool owned an impressive 57.7% contested catch rate in 2019 and would plow through defenders with frequency, as he broke 14 tackles on his 66 catches in 2019."

Cole Kmet

Before the NFL Combine, ESPN Draft Analyst Mel Kiper Jr. stated that Kmet needed to post a 4.7-second 40-yard dash to remain his top tight end and a possible first-round selection.

"So what did he run?" Kiper wrote. "Exactly a 4.70 40. Kmet also posted the top vertical jump at his position (37 inches). He's going to stay atop my list of tight ends."

But that also means that projects have remained about the same for the former Fighting Irish tight end and he should be a late first-round pick or an early-to-mid second-round selection.

Right now, the range appears to be No. 30 to the Green Bay Packers to No. 50 to the Chicago Bears.

Anything below that and it's a bad day for Kmet.

Julian Okwara

Julian Okwara is still an enigma as it pertains to the 2020 NFL Draft.

Will he go in the first round? Late in the third? Day three? Each option seems equally plausible at this point.

To be fair, it's hard to rate a player with such a high ceiling but also struggled during the first 10 weeks of his senior year before suffering a serious foot injury.

Still, it doesn't seem unlikely that some team falls in love with Okwara's immense talent and takes a chance on him earlier than most are expecting. Bleacher Report has Okwara as the first Notre Dame player off the board as the No. 39 overall pick by the Miami Dolphins.

Will Brinson of CBS Sports sees the Dolphins going after Okwara even earlier, and taking the former Notre Dame pass rusher with the No. 26 overall pick.

One of the lowest projections I've seen for Okwara is from Dan Brugler at the Athletic, who has him going late in the third round to the Ravens with the No. 92 overall pick.

Khalid Kareem

Khalid Kareem is considered a three-down defensive end with excellent size and a relentless motor. So why isn't he getting more buzz?

A big reason is that he was unable to workout at the NFL Combine due to labrum surgery he had after the season, but he should be ready for non-contact workout drills by Notre Dame's Pro Day on April 1. If he shows well there, Kareem could be a surefire day two (second or third round) pick.

For now, many mock drafts that run through the first 96 picks have Kareem landing outside of the first three rounds, but Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report do see him doing at the very end of day two, in the No. 87 to No. 96 range.

Troy Pride Jr.

After the Senior Bowl, Troy Pride Jr. blew up in NFL Draft circles. Kiper Jr. even said the former Notre Dame cornerback could end up a second-round pick by the time the draft rolls around.

While that certainly could be true, not many post-combine mock drafts have Pride going that high.

The only draft analyst that I came across that lists Pride as a day two pick is Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports, who has him as the No. 58 overall pick by the Minnesota Vikings, which would pair him in the defensive backfield with former Notre Dame safety Harrison Smith.

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