Notre Dame Has Four Picks In Four Rounds In Latest NFL Mock Draft

Notre Dame had four players get mocked in the first four rounds of the latest NFL.com mock draft

Dec 30, 2022; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Audric Estime (7) runs / Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports

The 2024 NFL Draft is less than a month away, which means mock draft season is in overdrive. More and more draft analysts are producing mock drafts that go deeper than one round. That is true for Chad Reuter of NFL.com, who had a four-round mock draft released this week, and in it he had four former Notre Dame players getting selected.

All-American left tackle Joe Alt is the highest of all the Notre Dame players, with Reuter projecting him to go 7th overall to the Tennessee Titans. This is one of the most common projections with all mock drafters heading into April.

"It’s been tough for me to see Alt anywhere outside of Tennessee, where he’ll combine his strength and agility to become a top-notch left tackle comparable to former Titans Pro Bowler Taylor Lewan." - Chad Reuter, NFL.com

Alt was a unanimous All-American for Notre Dame this past season, making him the first Irish blocker to earn that honor since Quenton Nelson earned it back in 2017. Despite being one of the youngest players in the draft, Alt projects as a potential day one starter in the NFL.

There are more and more second round projections for former Irish star cornerback Cam Hart, and Reuter is the latest. He projects Hart to be selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the 43rd overall pick, which is in the first half of the second round. Hart is coming off an outstanding senior season. His production won't blow you away, but teams largely avoided him this season. Hart was excellent in coverage and his run stopping ability to the field was top notch.

Reuter has another offensive lineman going in round three. He projects the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs to take former Irish right tackle Blake Fisher with the No. 95 overall pick. Offensive tackle is certainly a need for the Chiefs, who are looking to create more protection for star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Fisher had an up-and-down final two seasons with the Fighting Irish, but when he was on he flashed impressive skills. Taking him on day two is a bit of a risk, but Fisher has the talent to reward whatever team that does it.

Rounding things out is star running back Audric Estime, who Reuter has going in the fourth round. The NFL.com writer has the San Francisco 49ers picking Estime with the No. 135 overall pick. This would put Estime in the same backfield as star running back Christian McCaffrey, and running behind former Notre Dame blocker Aaron Banks, who starts at guard for the Niners. Estime had an outstanding final season for the Irish, racking up 1,341 yards on the ground, and he ranked third nationally with 18 rushing touchdowns.

Notre Dame has not had four or more players taken in the first two days since 2021. That season Notre Dame had five players takenin the first three rounds. They were Liam Eichenberg (Miami Dolphins, 2nd), Banks (49ers, 2nd), Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah ( Cleveland Browns, 2nd), Tommy Tremble (Carolina Panthers, 3rd) and Robert Hainsey (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3rd).

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