Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1235613
26 MAY 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY PATRICK ENGEL T he NFL is moving forward with its draft while nearly everything else in sports has suspended op- erations. It is the lone tumble- weed on a ghost town road, attracting even more attention than normal be- cause it is the one game in town. It will not operate as usual, though. There will not be a live player selec- tion — teams will conduct the draft from their home cities and it will be hosted in a TV studio. The NFL Combine in late February and early March was the last major pre-draft event to take place. Everything else halted. Prospect visits are on Zoom instead of clandestine in-person op- erations. Most pro days were can- celed. The whole process is different for prospects, scouts and executives. And, it turns out, different for col- lege coaches as well. Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly's role in help- ing his former players make the best possible impression has changed, and perhaps for the better. "We're sharing some GPS numbers to NFL teams to show their fitness level and their ability to do some things that some other athletes may not be able to do," Kelly said. The Fighting Irish are a good bet to match their six selections from a year ago, even with a first-round selection unlikely. If so, Notre Dame would have consecutive drafts with at least six players selected for the first time since 2013-14. In each of those spans, much of the core of 12-1 teams was draft eligible. Here are the six presumed selec- tions and their likely draft range: COLE KMET, TIGHT END 2019 Stats: 43 catches for 515 yards and six touchdowns NFL Combine Numbers: 4.7-second 40-yard dash, 37-inch vertical jump, 123-inch broad jump and 10.5-inch hands Height, Weight: 6-6, 262 Draft Projection: Second round What They're Saying: Kmet is considered the draft's top tight end, and if he is indeed the first draft pick at his position, it will mark the third time in the last 10 years a Notre Dame product was the initial tight end taken. The likely landing spot is the second round, though he has popped up as a late-first-round pick in some mock drafts. He is the No. 41 player on NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah's list of the top 50 prospects. "In the passing game he has good speed and does a lot of damage working in the seams," Jer- emiah wrote. "He isn't very polished or nuanced at the top of his route. He is at his best when he stays on the move instead of working back to the quarterback. "In the run game, he can effectively shield and wall off at the point of attack, and he takes good angles working up to the second level. Overall, Kmet isn't a dynamic player, but he's going to get stronger. I see him as a reliable, long-term starter at the position." CHASE CLAYPOOL, WIDE RECEIVER 2019 Stats: 66 catches for 1,037 yards and 13 touchdowns NFL Combine Numbers: 4.42-second 40-yard dash, 40.5-inch vertical jump, 19 bench press reps and 98th percentile SPARQ score Height, Weight: 6-4, 238 Draft Projection: Second or third round What They're Saying: Mel Kiper Jr.'s inclusion of Claypool in the first round of his late March mock draft was a surprise, but ESPN's draft guru has a favorable view of Notre Dame's 2019 MVP. Before the combine, Claypool received positive reviews from his time at the Senior Bowl. That was the start of his pre-draft ascent. "He had a second-round, at worst an early third- round grade, and now he's in the late first, early second round," Kiper said. "The combine, on the heels of a solid career, really allowed him to be where he is. He also has dual versatility and could be a move tight end. "Those are extraordinary [combine] numbers. They're historically great numbers for a guy his size." The one area that could push Claypool into the third round — where he has appeared in several PICK SIX Notre Dame is likely to have a half-dozen NFL Draft selec- tions in back-to-back years for the first time since 2013-14 Cole Kmet is the 2020 NFL Draft's consensus top tight end, and some analysts view him as a prospect who could sneak into the end of the first round. PHOTO BY SPENCER ALLEN