Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2020 7 UNDER THE DOME year senior in 2019, did not partici- pate in any of the three postseason all-star games. Wright has him as the No. 27 overall inside linebacker for the class. Linebacker Jamir Jones played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Pasa- dena, Calif., but did not record any statistics. LOCKS TO BE DRAFTED After receiving a second-round grade from NFL scouts in Decem- ber, Cole Kmet was the lone Fighting Irish underclassman to forgo his se- nior year and leave early for the 2020 NFL Draft. As a junior, he was ineligible to participate in any of the post-season all-star games, including the Senior Bowl, but his second-round projec- tion likely will be accurate. "Even though he's the No. 1 tight end, he's more of a top 50 overall type of prospect," Wright said. "It's not a huge crop of talent at that posi- tion this year." Also projected among the top three rounds are the defensive end tandem of Okwara and Kareem. After coming in the 2019 season with the potential to be a first-round draft pick, Okwara had a disappoint- ing year, capped off by a fractured left fibula against Duke that prema- turely ended his Notre Dame career. That injury on Nov. 9 unfortu- nately also prevented him from par- ticipating in any postseason all-star games, and there are concerns that he isn't big enough to be an every-down NFL defensive lineman. "He's got a lot riding on those pre-draft workouts," Wright said of Okwara. "Coming into the year, I had him as a top-50 pick, going in the late first, early to mid second-round range. He's probably a third-round pick right now." Kareem is listed as the No. 6 over- all defensive end in the class and will most likely be drafted on day two. ✦ NINE NOTRE DAME PLAYERS INVITED TO NFL COMBINE One year after sending eight players to the 2019 NFL Combine after an appearance in the College Football Playoff, Notre Dame topped that mark with nine invites this year. The 2020 NFL Combine will be held at In- dianapolis from Feb. 23 through March 2, and is comprised of interviews with NFL teams, medical exams and testing in numerous drills, including the 40-yard dash, shuttle, vertical jump, 225-pound bench press reps, and even the Wonderlic exam, which tests mental skills. Among the 337 players invited, the nine from Notre Dame represented the sixth most for any school, behind reigning national cham- pion LSU's 16, Michigan and Ohio State with 11 apiece, and Alabama and Georgia with 10 each. The Irish invite list includes four players from offense and five on defense: running back: Tony Jones Jr., wide receivers Chase Claypool and Chris Finke, tight end: Cole Kmet, defen- sive ends Khalid Kareem and Julian Okwara, safeties Jalen Elliott and Alohi Gilman, and cornerback Troy Pride Jr. — Lou Somogyi Liam Eichenberg Headlines 2021 Draft Class In his first eight seasons at Notre Dame from 2010-17, head coach Brian Kelly had a future first-round starter at left tackle every year: Zack Martin (2010-13), Ronnie Stanley (2014-15) and Mike McGlinchey (2016-17). It's not out of the question the streak could run to 11 years with Liam Eichenberg (2018-20). The returning fifth-year senior was ranked among the top 32 NFL Draft-eligible players for 2021 by CBS Sports' Barrett Sallee, while DraftSite.com has him the No. 7 overall pick in a way-too-early 2021 mock draft. The return of defensive end Daelin Hayes also gives Notre Dame another future pro at a valued position, but Scott Wright of NFL- DraftCountdown.com is particular intrigued by three Irish defenders in three different classes: Kyle Hamilton — The Freshman All-Amer- ican in a part-time role led the team in in- terceptions with four and had six passes de- fended, which was tied for second. He also proved to be a strong tackler (41, seventh on the team), but it's his rare 6-4, 210-pound frame at safety that especially has NFL scouts salivating. "If I were making a list of the top three to five best true freshman I saw this past year, he'd be on it. No question," Wright said. "He's clearly the top safety in his class and he's right up there with [cornerback] Derek Stingley from LSU and (defensive end) Drake Jackson from USC." Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah — As the start- ing rover, he tied linebacker Drew White for the team lead in total tackles with 80. He also paced the team in stops for loss with 13.5 and tied for tops in sacks with 5.5. At his pace, there's a good chance he could forego a fifth year of eligibility in 2021 to turn pro. The prime question is whether at a current 6-1, 216 pounds he'd be a little undersized for an NFL linebacker. "Five to 10 years ago that would've been more of a concern, but it's not as much these days," Wright said. "Teams are looking for those versatile multi-purpose defenders who can both play in the box but are also capable of dropping into coverage and running downfield with wide receivers and tight ends." Another option could be that Owusu-Koramoah puts on additional weight and moves to Buck line- backer in 2020 — just as Drue Tranquill (2018) and Asmar Bilal (2019) did — but that will be up to defensive coordinator Clark Lea. Ade Ogundeji — The former Western Michigan defensive end commit was considered a develop- mental project at Notre Dame while biding his time behind higher-ranked prospects such as Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem and Hayes. But after Okwara and Hayes were lost during the 2019 season due to injuries, Odgundeji's role increase and he flourished. In the last three games of 2019, Ogundeji had 14 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks. Prior to that, he was rarely on the field for third-and-long situations when Okwara was still in the lineup. "He really flashed late in the year when Okwara went down and I'm going to be excited to see what he can do now with more opportunity," Wright said. — Andrew Mentock Eichenberg was projected to be the No. 7 overall pick in a way-too-early 2021 mock draft put out by DraftSite.com. PHOTO BY MIKE MILLER