Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com NOV. 23, 2019 51 IRISH IN THE PROS BY ANDREW MENTOCK O ver the summer, ESPN broke down each college football "Position U," which looked at the schools that pro- duce the most NFL talent at each posi- tion on the field. Notre Dame, a program often deemed "Tight End U" by fans, was in- explicably left off the list. As somewhat of a surprise, the Fighting Irish did make the top 10 for "Wide Receiver U." This perceived snubbing upset fans and media members alike. How could a team that's had its last eight season- opening starting tight ends get drafted — a streak that dates back to Anthony Fasano in 2004 — be omitted? During that time span, Notre Dame has produced one first-round tight end in Tyler Eifert in 2013, four second- round selections, a fourth-round pick and two seventh-round draftees. Some of this perception could be due to a recent lack of production from for- mer NFL star tight ends Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings and Eifert of the Cincinnati Bengals. Last year, the pair produced a combined five touch- downs all season. In part, this statistical dip has been due to an injury-plagued second half of Eifert's career. That includes several minor ailments, but he's also suffered a handful of significant afflictions that have caused him to miss major por- tions of the season. The first came on the opening game of the NFL season in 2014, when Eif- ert dislocated his elbow and missed the remainder of the year. He tore a ligament in his ankle in the 2016 Pro Bowl, which caused him to sit out for the first six games of the next season. Then during the following two sea- sons, Eifert played in a total of six games due to back surgery in 2017 and a gruesome broken ankle in 2018. Both Rudolph and Eifert entered the 2019 regular season mostly healthy, but they still had slow starts. In the first six weeks, they caught one touchdown combined — by Eifert in a 41-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers Sept. 15. The good news for Irish faithful and Notre Dame's "Tight End U" reputa- tion is that the production for the pair is on an uptick. In the last four weeks, Rudolph and Eifert have scored a combined five touchdowns. Eifert also had his biggest game in terms of yards against the Los Angeles Rams Oct. 27, hauling in six passes for 74 yards. But Rudolph's performance against the Dallas Cowboys Nov. 10 may have been his best of the season. "Our identity starts with running the football and I knew that the balls would come," he said after the win on ESPN's SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt. "I just had to stay positive. I had to be in the right mindset because you don't want to squander the opportuni- ties when they come because you're worried about it when they don't come. "For me, it was about just staying positive all year." He finished with four catches for 14 yards, but he also scored on a two- point conversion and had two touch- down grabs, including a spectacular one-handed catch. "I still haven't asked Kirk [Cousins] if he was throwing that one away or giving me a chance, but I saw the ball up in the air and just tried to make a play to help our team start fast," Ru- dolph said. Rudolph's play earned him recogni- tion on the Pro Football Focus Team of the Week as a flex tight end. ✦ Irish Tight Ends Beginning To Shine Kyle Rudolph, a ninth-year pro with Minnesota, had four catches for 14 yards with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion, to lead the Vikings to a 28-24 win over the Dallas Cowboys Nov. 10. PHOTO COURTESY MINNESOTA VIKINGS NOTRE DAME IN THE NFL: WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS • Cole Luke (Played at Notre Dame from 2013-16), CB, Carolina Panthers: Signed off 5-4 Carolina's practice squad Nov. 8 … Re- corded two tackles in the Panthers' 24-16 loss at Green Bay. • Mike McGlinchey (2013-17), OL, San Francisco 49ers: Came back after missing four games following arthroscopic knee surgery and started at right tackle in the 8-1 49ers' 27- 24 overtime loss to Seattle … Has started five games this season at right tackle. • Jaylon Smith (2013-15), LB, Dallas Cow- boys: Notched 13 tackles and half a tackle for loss in the 5-4 Cowboys' 28-24 setback versus Minnesota … Has 68 tackles (41 solo), 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in his first eight contests ... Tied for 13th in the NFL in total tackles. • Drue Tranquill (2014-18), LB, Los Angeles Chargers: Started in place of the injured Den- zel Perryman and had 14 tackles (six solo) in the 4-6 Chargers' 26-24 loss at Oakland … Has 43 tackles through nine games, and has been excellent on special teams this season.