Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1183432
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 16, 2019 15 his draft stock, more of those Virginia and Virginia Tech performances are going to be needed, but most likely their best opportunity to do so will come in a post-season all-star game. "Both are Senior Bowl guys, should they choose to accept their invitation," Wright explained. "I cer- tainly think Khalid Kareem would. Okwara, maybe he'd be on the fence, but based on his senior season I think he could use that. He can go to Mo- bile, Alabama, to really showcase himself." Wright's opinion on the Senior Bowl is that it can be one of the best ways for NFL prospects to boost their stock a few months before the draft. Every NFL team will have multiple employees in attendance for both the game and practices. "Pretty much anybody who's any- body in the NFL is down there — from scouts to the coaches to the gen- eral managers and decision-makers," he said. "The scouts are usually al- ready familiar with these guys, but a lot of times with the coaches, this is their first exposure to them." There also will be opportunities for both defensive ends to improve dur- ing and after the season. Both have family members with whom they train and take advice. For Okwara, it's his older brother Romeo, a former Notre Dame player and current defensive end for the Detroit Lions. "We talk after every game," Julian Okwara said. "He watches my film and just tells me everything I can work on to get better for the next play and the next week." Kareem, on the other hand, trains with his father, Ken, who was his high school coach. Ken said that his teaching abilities had to rise with Khalid's game, as he went from JV to varsity to Division I starter. "The better he needed to be, the better I needed to be as his father because I was who he was leaning on and counting on to get him better," Ken Kareem said. This includes working out in the kitchen when he comes home to visit or on the football field over the sum- mer. With the Kareems being from the greater Detroit area, Ken has also been able to train other Notre Dame defensive ends from that region, such as Daelin Hayes, Ade Ogundeji and Ovie Oghoufo. After the season and potential all- star games, both Okwara and Ka- reem will likely go to a special train- ing facility to get ready for the NFL Combine, as most draftable former Notre Dame players have in the past. But first things first: bounce back from the Michigan loss and show improvements through November. If that happens, both have a chance to set career highs in sacks and tackles for loss and, more importantly, help their teammates win out. "I'm worried about the team and more focused on that right now," Okwara said when asked about his individual play this season. "[I] need to do everything I can do to help the team win." ✦ Kareem (left) and Okwara (right) entered the season ranked highly on 2020 NFL Draft boards. They each have demonstrated flashes of brilliance this season, but both are seeking greater consistency and pro- ductivity in the remaining games. PHOTOS BY ANDRIS VISOCKIS "A lot of younger players look to the older guys and veterans to come out there and make a play. I think something we all need to work on is being able to come out there and make plays for our team and be able to get the guys going." OKWARA