Blue and Gold Illustrated

April 2020

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1220706

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 38 of 55

www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2020 39 of the 2019 campaign on the side- lines with a broken collarbone. One of the inquiries was how fast the 6-6, 262-pound tight end was. "Cole Kmet is the most interest- ing for me as far as the first round," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said. "I had him in there earlier and took him out. The question about speed will be answered at the combine and pro day. If he runs in the 4.7s, he's in the first-round discussion. A 4.8 puts him in the second-round area." His time? A 4.7-second 40-yard dash, which puts him in play to go early to a team in need of a tight end, such as the New England Patriots with the No. 23 overall pick. Even if Kmet falls to the second round, he should have at least a good start to his bank account. 8. Julian Okwara Shows Freakish Strength At Bench Press Coming into the 2019 college foot- ball season, Notre Dame defensive end Julian Okwara was viewed as a future first-round draft pick with top-10 potential. But after a disap- pointing senior campaign that was cut short after he fractured his fibula against Duke, Okwara's NFL Draft projections are all over the place. Some analysts still believe he has the talent to be a late first-round pick, while others see him chosen in the third round or later. One common criticism of Okwara is that he doesn't have the strength to hold up as an every-down defensive end and will be forced to move to outside linebacker in the NFL. Okwara took his first step in prov- ing his doubters wrong at the NFL Combine. He weighed in at 252 pounds, four more than his listed weight during the season, and then wowed spectators when he threw up 27 reps on the bench press, especially notable because of his long arms (34 3 ⁄8 inches). This put him just out- side the top 10 among fellow defen- sive linemen, but most of the players who put up more reps than Okwara outweighed him by 30 to 40 pounds. Okwara is still in the process of recovering from his fractured fibula, but he should be ready to run and participate in agility drills at Notre Dame's pro day April 1. If he can run a 4.5-second 40-yard dash like many are expecting, perhaps more experts will be talking about him as a border- line first- or second-round pick. 9. Alohi Gilman Shines In Un- usual Way Former Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman had a productive NFL Com- bine, finishing in the upper echelon of several workouts and running a 4.60 40-yard dash. But perhaps the most notable aspect of Gilman's Combine is what he did when the workouts were concluded. As the other safeties and defensive backs began to walk off of the field at Lucas Oil Stadium, Gilman stayed behind and decided to pick up after himself and the other participants. This type of selfless act typically goes unnoticed, at least publicly, but NFL Network reporter Kimberly Jones was still there and described the action on the air shortly after it occurred. "We just had something I've never seen before at the NFL Combine hap- pen," she said. "Notre Dame safety Alohi Gilman just cleaned up the en- tire corner of this end zone. Plastic bottles, tape, whatever was here, he threw them in the trash receptacles. Good job by Alohi Gilman." Gilman, however, didn't take credit for cleaning up the end zone. Instead, he said it was because of his upbring- ing. "This is a product from being raised in Hawai'i and by 2 amazing par- ents," he wrote on his official Twitter account. "Simple acts of service make the world 1% better!" 10. Was Asmar Bilal Snubbed? Former Notre Dame linebacker As- mar Bilal surprised everyone cover- ing the team when he put together an outstanding final season in South Bend after often struggling his first four years. He finished third on the team in total tackles and displayed the size and athleticism scouts expect from a future NFL linebacker. Yet Bilal wasn't among the nine Notre Dame players invited to the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, even though there's a good chance he would have tested well. His lack of an invite is probably in- dicative of a talented linebacker class, but it is somewhat perplexing that Bilal got snubbed while wide receiver Chris Finke and running back Tony Jones Jr. were invited. Both had suc- cessful careers at Notre Dame, but neither appears to have more NFL potential than Bilal. Because he wasn't invited to the Combine, Bilal will instead have to show what he can do at Notre Dame's pro day April 1. It seems unlikely that he will be drafted, but every once in a while, a player who wasn't invited to the Combine gets taken in one of the seven rounds. ✦ Julian Okwara turned heads with 27 reps on the bench press, which were especially notable due to his long arms (34 3 ⁄8 inches). Still recovering from his fractured fibula, he did not participate in any running or agility drills at the Combine. PHOTO BY ANDREW MENTOCK

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Blue and Gold Illustrated - April 2020