Notre Dame fans love to campaign that their favorite college football team should be considered “Tight End U” and “Offensive Line U,” which is why it caused outrage when ESPN snubbed the Fighting Irish on both accounts this past summer.
Still, both opinions are difficult to contradict. Perhaps, though, a specific moniker the Fighting Irish faithful should also claim is “Left Tackle U.”
From 2010-17, Notre Dame had a first-round NFL Draft pick starting at left tackle — beginning with Zack Martin and continuing through Ronnie Stanley and Mike McGlinchey.
This is a streak that should end up spanning more than a decade, assuming Liam Eichenberg makes the improvements to his game that are necessary to reach his outstanding potential.
Several way-to-early 2021 NFL Mock Drafts already mentioning Eichenberg as a potential first-round pick, with Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports even projecting him as the No. 11 overall selection and third offensive lineman off the board. While that may be a bit high at this point in time, it does show that it is reasonable to believe he has first-round talent.
Listed at 6-6 and 305 pounds, Eichenberg is most similar to Stanley when it comes to physical dimensions and pass-blocking prowess, albeit Stanley was more athletic and further developed at a similar age and left for the NFL Draft with one year of eligibility remaining.
Heading into his final season at Notre Dame, Eichenberg’s Pro Football Focus grades in pass protection and as a run blocker are eerily similar to Stanley’s from his second to last season.
