Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/131896
A By Wes Morgan fter endless analysis of 40-yard dash times, hand sizes, vertical leaps and which expert's mock draft would be most accurate, NFL teams sorted through the 2013 crop of outgoing college talent and plucked six former Notre Dame stars from the board. Highlighted by Cincinnati's selection of tight end Tyler Eifert with the 21st overall pick in the first round — the latest in a distinguished line of talented graduates from Tight End U. — the six Fighting Irish names called April 25-27 at Radio City Music Hall in New York were the second most this decade for the program, which produced seven in 2007. Manti Te'o scooped up more national football awards than he could find cabinet space for this past year, followed by more embarrassing headlines than most young people could possibly weather without losing their sanity. To say 201213 was tumultuous for Notre Dame's former star middle linebacker is the understatement of the decade. The offseason soap opera, a less-thanstellar performance against Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game and a subpar showing at the NFL Combine caused Te'o to drop to the second round (38th overall selection, going to San Diego). Still, he was the highestdrafted Irish linebacker since 1993, when Demetrius DuBose was taken 34th by Tampa Bay. Safety Jamoris Slaughter, who missed the majority of his final season in South Bend due to a torn Achilles, was selected 175th overall, getting picked in the sixth round by the Cleveland Browns and continuing a recent trend of Irish back-line defenders drawing scouts' attention. Former teammate Zeke Motta's name was called by Atlanta in the seventh round (244th overall pick). Safety is the single-most drafted position among Notre Dame alumni in the past 10 years with seven. Slaughter and Motta joined Harrison Smith, who went in the first round last year to Minnesota, David Bruton (2009), Tom Zbikowski (2008), Chinedum Ndukwe (2007) and Glenn Earl (2004). All but Earl and Ndukwe are still in the league. Running back Theo Riddick, who played slot receiver in 2010-11 at Notre Dame, was taken by the Detroit Lions in the sixth round (199th overall) and defensive end Kapron Lewis-Moore, who tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the title game against the Crimson Tide, was selected 200th overall by Baltimore, which nabbed him in the sixth round. Though a bruise to the ego, several undrafted free agents from Notre Dame hooked up with teams in the hours and days that followed. Center Braxston Cave (Cleveland), offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr. (Pittsburgh), running back Cierre Wood (Houston) and wide receiver John Goodman (Cincinnati) each signed free agent deals. Wide receiver Robby Toma and safety Chris Salvi were invited to rookie minicamps with Baltimore and Chicago, respectively, but didn't latch on, nor did long snapper Jordan Cowart (Washington) and punter Ben Turk (Houston). Bengals Sold On Eifert Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly