Notre Dame Players Rising In Latest NFL.com Mock Draft

Cole Kmet and Troy Pride Jr. are two of four former Notre Dame players going in round two of the latest mock draft from NFL.com

Bryan Driskell | Mar 9, 2020

If the latest mock draft from NFL.com holds true the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft is going to be incredibly busy for Notre Dame fans.

NFL.com Draft analyst Chad Reuter has four former Fighting Irish players going in round two of his latest three-round mock draft.

According to Reuter, tight end Cole Kmet will be the first former Irish player off the board. He has the Indianapolis Colts taking Kmet with the No. 34 overall pick. Indianapolis returns Jack Doyle at tight end but it must replace Eric Ebron, who is likely to depart via free agency.

Reuter had Kmet going in the first round (No. 20 overall) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in his previous mock draft.

Up next is cornerback Troy Pride Jr., who Reuter has going No. 57 overall to the Houston Texans, where he would join former Notre Dame players Will Fuller and Nick Martin. Reuter actually moved Pride up 11 spots after having him slated for No. 68 (New York Jets) in his previous mock draft.

The biggest riser is wide receiver Chase Claypool, who wasn’t in Reuter’s previous three-round mock draft. After a dominant performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, Reuter now has the former Irish standout going No. 60 overall to the Baltimore Ravens.

This is quite an intriguing selection, as it would pair Claypool with Miles Boykin, a third-round pick of the Ravens last year and former position mate of Claypool. Boykin and Claypool combined for 109 catches and 1,511 yards in 2018.

His final Notre Dame player in the latest mock draft is defensive end Julian Okwara, who Reuter has slated to go No. 61 overall to the Tennessee Titans. That is up eight spots from where Okwara was picked in his last mock draft and would give the Titans one of the best edge rushers in the draft.

Reuter had Irish safety Alohi Gilman going in the third round to the Cleveland Browns in his last mock draft, but Gilman is not in his latest.

Published Mar 9, 2020

BRYAN DRISKELL

Bryan Driskell is the publisher of Irish Breakdown and has been covering Notre Dame football for over a decade. A former college football player and coach, Bryan and Irish Breakdown bring a level of expertise and analysis that is unmatched. From providing in depth looks at the Fighting Irish, breaking news stories and honest recruiting analysis, Irish Breakdown has everything Notre Dame football fans want and need. Bryan was previous a football analyst for Blue & Gold Illustrated before launching Irish Breakdown. He coached college football at Duquesne University, Muhlenberg College, Christopher Newport University, Wittenberg University and Defiance College. During his coaching career he was a pass game coordinator, recruiting coordinator, quarterbacks coach, running backs coach and wide receivers coach. Bryan earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Salisbury University, where he played quarterback for the Sea Gulls. You can email Bryan at bryan@irishbreakdown.com. Become a premium Irish Breakdown member, which grants you access to all of our premium content and our premium message board! Click on the link below for more. BECOME A MEMBER Be sure to stay locked into Irish Breakdown all the time! Follow Bryan on Twitter: @CoachD178Like and follow Irish Breakdown on FacebookSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown YouTube channelSubscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes Sign up for the FREE Irish Breakdown daily newsletter