Stat of the Jay: How Many Notre Dame Players Have the Bengals Drafted In Their History?

Jay Morrison | Jan 29, 2025

November 12, 2011; College Park, MD, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish tight end Tyler Eifert (80) celebrates his second half touchdown catch and run against the Maryland Terrapins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images / Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

CINCINNATI – Four draft-eligible players from the 2024 Notre Dame defense are expected to be drafted this spring, two of whom should hear their names called in the first two rounds.

Safety Xavier Watts and cornerback Benjamin Morrison are the top two prospects.

And with Al Golden relocating from South Bend, Ind. to Cincinnati as the Bengals’ new defensive coordinator, both Watts and Morrison would be intriguing continuity options for a secondary that has struggled the last two seasons.

The Bengals have drafted 697 players in franchise history.

Only nine schools have delivered more talent to Cincinnati than Notre Dame, which has had 10 players drafted by the Bengals.

Ohio State leads the list 20, with the most recent being guard Michael Jordan (fourth round) and center Billy Price (first round) in 2018.

Michigan is second with 18, five of whom have been a part of the last four drafts – defensive tackle Kris Jenkins (second, 2024), cornerback DJ Turner II (second, 2023), punter Brad Robbins (sixth, 2023), defensive back Dax Hill (first, 2022) and running back Chris Evans (sixth, 2021).

The other schools from which the Bengals have drafted double-digit picks from are:

Georgia, 15

Miami (Fla.), 14

Arizona State, 13

Alabama 12,

Auburn, 11

Florida, 11

LSU, 11

Notre Dame, 10

Kansas, 10

Oklahoma, 10

Penn State, 10

Texas 10

Only two of the 10 Notre Dame players the Bengals have drafted has been in the first or second round – tight end Tyler Eifert (first, 2013), and defensive end Ross Browner (first, 1978).

The other Irish players the Bengals have drafted are:

Khalid Kareem, defensive end (fifth, 2020)

Dan Santucci, center (seventh, 2007)

Chinedu Ndukwe, defensive back (seventh, 2007)

Bob Dahl, tackle (third, 1991)

Mike Brennan, tackle (fourth, 1990)

Brandy Wells, defensive back (ninth, 1988)

Jim Browner, defensive back (12th, 1979)

John Dampeer, guard (ninth, 1973)

For more on the Bengals, subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Make sure you bookmark BengalsTalk.com for the latest Bengals news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

-----

Join the 50,000+ Bengals fans that subscribe to us on YouTube.

Follow us on Twitter: @BengalsTalkSI

Like Our Facebook Page

Follow on TikTok