Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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36 JUNE/JULY 2020 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED "I'll just let that be the fuel to a forest fire," Pride told The Charlotte Observer. "I want to show 31 other teams what they missed out on." Pivotal to his success may be to avoid allowing his emotions to get the better of him, a problem early in his Notre Dame career. "With Troy Pride, a lot of his evalua- tion is based on his speed and his ath- letic ability," Kelly said. "Troy is just starting to scratch his potential and where he could be as a player. … He can be an emotional guy sometimes. "… Early in his career, he'd let a play affect him. Then, this past year, he got really good at moving on to the next play." KHALID KAREEM FALLS TO THE FIFTH ROUND Like Okwara, Khalid Kareem suf- fered a severe injury against Duke last season, tearing his labrum. Rather than going under the knife right away, Kareem finished out his Notre Dame career on the field. He elected to have surgery in January, which caused him to miss the Senior Bowl and prevented him from work- ing out at the NFL Combine. His team-first decision was noble and well received, even if it likely cost him financially. Had Kareem been fully healthy in Janu- ary and February, there's a good chance he would have been a third-round choice. Instead, he was a fifth- round pick by the Cin- cinnati Bengals and No. 147 overall. Still, his contract is estimated to be worth $3,649,474, which is nothing to scoff at. Going forward, it's likely that much of his success is analyzed in conjunction with Okwara's because both were two-year starters at Notre Dame, team captains and members of the class of 2020. "I've talked to a lot of people about him because immediately you're try- ing to compare him to Julian Okwara — and they're different players," Kelly said. "Khalid's a sneaky pass rusher, first of all. He gets off blocks. He has an innate ability to find a way to the quarterback. "He's going to be a guy who plays in this league for a while because he knows how to play the game." The Bengals are par- ticularly excited about Kareem's measurables. At the NFL Combine, he had the largest hands among all defensive linemen — an important physical trait for his position — while also possess- ing one of the longest wingspans. "It's something I've been trying to put to my game," Kareem said. "My stabs, my long arms, they help me a lot. A lot of guys aren't used to seeing that length when it comes to a pass rusher. "When I get my opportunity, I try to leave my mark." ALOHI GILMAN THE LATEST IRISH PLAYER DRAFTED BY THE CHARGERS During the Brian Kelly era, the Los Angeles Chargers have a long history of acquiring Notre Dame players in the NFL Draft — a trend the orga- nization continued when it nabbed safety Alohi Gilman in the sixth round with the No. 186 overall pick. This tendency began in the 2013 draft, when the then-San Diego Char- gers took linebacker Manti Te'o, also from Hawai'i, in the second round. Since then the Chargers have also drafted offensive guard Chris Watt (2014), defensive end Isaac Rochell (2017), defensive tackle Jerry Tillery (2019) and linebacker Drue Tranquill (2019). The Chargers then signed two un- drafted free agents: linebacker Asmar Bilal and cornerback Donte Vaughn. After transferring from Navy to chase his NFL dreams, Gilman sat out a year at Notre Dame before starting two seasons and becoming a captain. Now with the Chargers, it's unclear how much Gilman will be able to contribute to the defense as a rookie, but it would be surprising if he didn't make an immediate impact on special teams. "We've lost some of our core spe- cial teamers from last year, so that was definitely part of it," Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said. "But we like him as a safety, too. Safeties in dime package, he's super smart, he's tough and he hits. "Those are good traits in a second- ary. Between safety and special teams, he has a really good chance." ✦ Kareem, Notre Dame's 2019 Defensive MVP, went in the fifth round to Cincinnati. PHOTO COURTESY CINCINNATI BENGALS Cornerback Troy Pride Jr. was selected in the fourth round by Carolina. PHOTO COURTESY CAROLINA PANTHERS Safety Alohi Gilman joined the "Notre Dame Chargers." PHOTO COURTESY LOS ANGELES CHARGERS FIGHTING IRISH PLAYERS ON THE MOVE IN THE NFL • In the offseason, former Notre Dame tight end Tyler Eifert (2009-12) became a free agent and signed a two-year contract with the Jack- sonville Jaguars worth a maximum of $15.5 million. He spent the first seven years of his NFL career with the Cincinnati Bengals. • After starting for the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV, defensive tackle Sheldon Day (2012-15) became a free agent in the offsea- son and signed a one-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts worth $1.75 million. Day is an Indianapolis native, where he at- tended Warren Central High School, which is about a 25-minute drive to the Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium.