Former Notre Dame Players Ranked In Top 100 For The 2020 NFL Draft
When it comes to producing NFL players, Notre Dame has been among the nation's best in recent seasons, and based on the latest big board from The Athletic's Dane Brugler, that should continue in 2020.
Notre Dame has a relatively small draft class, but there is some impact talent in the group.
Brugler ranked four former Irish players in his Top 100 for the upcoming NFL Draft ($), which will take place between April 23-25. Notre Dame is tied for fourth with Clemson, Michigan, TCU, Wisconsin and Utah. Alabama tops the list with nine former players, LSU has eight and Ohio State has six.
Defensive end Khalid Kareem checked in as the highest ranked player on Brugler's board, ranking No. 39 overall and as the No. 5 edge player in the upcoming draft. Here is what Brugler thinks of the former Irish captain:
"Although he won’t test as well as Julian Okwara, Kareem is a better football player right now with his ability to set the edge and create pressure rushing the passer. He might not have as much upside as some other rushers in this class, but that is only because he is closer to his ceiling right now."
Tight end Cole Kmet is the No. 1 player at his position according to Brugler, and he checks in as the No. 41 overall player in his latest big board update. Here are Brugler's thoughts on Kmet:
"A physically impressive pass-catcher, Kmet has all the baseline traits needed to be a dependable starting tight end in the NFL. He has balanced playing both baseball and football most of his life, but his development should be accelerated now that he is focusing only on football."
Brugler is quite high on the raw tools of former Irish end Julian Okwara, who ranks No. 44 overall and as the No. 6 edge player on Brugler's board. Here are his thoughts on Okwara:
"Although the production hasn’t always been there, his athletic traits are really impressive for his size, which is something that will shine during the testing portion of the process – if he is ready after he had surgery in November to repair a broken fibula."
If those former Irish standouts are drafted near their ranking on this board it would put them all into the early to middle part of the second round of the draft.
Wide receiver Chase Claypool checks in at No. 92 on the list. Claypool ranks as the 17th-best receiver in what is an absolutely loaded class at that position. In my view, Claypool is the one former Notre Dame player with a chance to make the biggest leap up team's draft boards with a strong pre-draft process.
Follow me on Twitter: @CoachD178
Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/IrishMaven/
