While the Reese's Senior Bowl can be a big opportunity for former Notre Dame players to prove themselves in front of NFL scouts, for one reason or another, not everyone is afforded the opportunity.
Some do not get invited, choose not to play, are too young or are recovering from an injury.
This year, that camp includes tight end Cole Kmet, running back Tony Jones, wide receiver Chris Finke, linebacker Asmar Bilal and defense ends Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem and Jamir Jones,
Locks to be Drafted
Cole Kmet
After receiving a second-round grade from NFL scouts in December, Cole Kmet is the lone underclassman to forgo his senior year and leave early for the 2020 NFL Draft.
As a junior, he was ineligible to participate in any of the post-season all-star games, including the Senior Bowl.
According to most scouts, including Scott Wright of Draft Countdown, Kmet is expected to be the first tight end taken but that's not a lock. Other tight ends, such as Adam Trautman from Dayton shined in the Senior Bowl.
"I don't want to say he's breathing down the neck for that number one tight end spot, but he's certainly in the rearview mirror now where he's within sight," Wright said. "There's going to be some competition there. I wouldn't write it in ink that Kmet is going to be the first tight end off the board."
Either way, Kmet should be taken in the first two rounds of the draft, especially since teams like the Chicago Bears (two picks in the second round), New England Patriots and Jacksonville Jaguars are all in desperate need of a tight end.
"Even though he's the number one tight end, he's more of a top 50 overall type of prospect. It's not a huge crop of talent at that position this year," Wright said. "His best-case scenario is maybe he works his way into the early twenties, but I wouldn't be shocked if he was more of an early-to-mid-second-round pick. I think of him as a little bit of a cross between [former Notre Dame tight ends] Kyle Rudolph and Tyler Eifert."
