Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 APRIL 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED the 2020 NFL Combine into an Olym- pic-type event by awarding pretend medals to the players who finished first, second or third in their position group for each drill. For instance, Cole Kmet took the gold medal for posting the top ver- tical jump among tight ends with a leap of 37 inches. He also earned silver medals for his results in the three-cone drill and the broad jump. In total, former Notre Dame play- ers received seven medals at the 2020 NFL Combine, more than any other school. The next closest was Michigan with six medals. The Wolverines, however, had three gold medals to one for the Fighting Irish. The medal breakdown for Notre Dame was one gold, two silver and four bronze, which means that Kmet earned all three of the medals above bronze. That's why it should come as no surprise that he had the best SPARQ rating, which scores a player based on his speed, power, agility, reaction and quickness. Chase Claypool didn't receive any medals, but still earned the third-best SPARQ score amongst wide receiv- ers. While Notre Dame doesn't actu- ally receive anything for winning the medal count at the 2020 NFL Com- bine, it does represent how strong the team's strength and conditioning program is under Matt Balis. This type of information is also an effective recruiting tool. High-level high school prospects want to know a school will develop them in the weight room. This was an important factor for Chris Tyree, Notre Dame's top-100-rated running back recruit in the class of 2020. 6. Jalen Elliott's 4.8 Puts His NFL Future In Question No event at the NFL Combine re- ceives more publicity than the 40- yard dash. Usually, the event comes up because a player ran an excep- tional time, but in some cases an individual runs a much slower 40 time than most anticipated and it can damage his draft stock. Unfortunately, this was the case for former Notre Dame safety Jalen Elliott, who ran a 4.8-second 40-yard dash on the final day of workouts, the worst among his position group. Prior to the combine, several NFL mock drafts had Elliott selected as high as the fourth round, especially after he impressed scouts at the Se- nior Bowl with his ability to lead his peers. But after such a poor 40-yard dash, most experts are now assuming El- liott will not get drafted. Safeties do not have to be the fleetest players on the field, but it's a red flag if most NFL tight ends can outrun them. Elliott will have a chance to im- prove his 40-time at Notre Dame's pro day April 1, but if he doesn't show dramatic progress, his best bet to make an NFL roster may be as a priority free agent. 7. Cole Kmet Positions Himself To Be A First-Round Pick Widely considered the top tight end in the 2020 NFL Draft class, Cole Kmet received a second-round grade from scouts in December when he requested feedback. Much of this was because they still had some questions about the Fight- ing Irish junior, who spent a portion NFL COMBINE MEDAL COUNT School Gold Silver Bronze Total Notre Dame 1 2 4 7 Michigan 3 0 3 6 Missouri 3 1 1 5 Clemson 2 1 2 5 Oregon 1 3 1 5 Florida 1 2 2 5 TCU 0 4 1 5 Michigan State 0 3 2 5 LSU 0 3 2 5 Iowa 3 0 1 4 Cole Kmet earned gold medal status at the Combine for posting the best vertical jump among tight ends with a leap of 37 inches. He also took silver medals for his performances in the three-cone drill (7.44 seconds) and the broad jump (10 1 ⁄4 feet). PHOTO BY ANDREW MENTOCK