Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2021 37 valuable skill set that should allow him to thrive against up-tempo of- fenses, no matter the down. "He is nothing but a consistent, all- around player," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said on a recent epi- sode of the First Draft podcast. "You watch him cover, you watch him play on the outside, make plays in space, get behind and get into the backfield. "He's smart. Some of the tackles he made in one-on-one, open-field situations were remarkable. I haven't seen a lot of that in recent years. He did it." Evaluations such as this are why he's a consensus first-round selection according to draft analysts. The mock draft Kiper released on Feb. 25 has Owusu-Koramoah going to the Mi- ami Dolphins with the No. 18 overall pick, but others see him being se- lected a bit higher by the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 17) or New England Patriots (No. 15). Wherever he ends up, Owusu- Koramoah should become the first Notre Dame linebacker selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Bob Crable in 1982 was chosen by the New York Jets at No. 23 overall. DAY-TWO HOPEFULS OT LIAM EICHENBERG A three-year starter at Notre Dame, Eichenberg is the latest in a long line of premier left tackles under Kelly. Previous draftees to play the position include Zack Martin (2009-13), Ron- nie Stanley (2012-15) and Mike Mc- Glinchey (2013-17) — all first-round selections. Eichenberg carries a similar pedi- gree, but chances are slim he'll hear his name called by NFL commis- sioner Roger Goodell on day one of the draft. Most analysts see him as a second-round pick, with a popular potential destination being the India- napolis Colts. Whichever team selects Eichenberg will get a physically mature player ready to contribute to an NFL roster come the start of training camp. "To be a fifth-year player, you love the experience there," NFLDraft- Scout.com's Matt Miller told Blue- andGold.com in January. "Even go- ing back to last year, there were guys he was handling on film that no one else in the country was able to do." After he was named a consensus All-American in 2020, Eichenberg was invited to the Reese's Senior Bowl, but elected not to participate. TE TOMMY TREMBLE Turn on Tremble's film and a phys- ically imposing blocker jumps off the screen. He punishes opposing de- fenders, whether it's bumping a de- fensive end at the line of scrimmage or picking up a linebacker or safety in the second level. Many assumed the junior would return for his senior campaign. NFL scouts, however, were intrigued by the athletic tight end, so he decided to declare for the draft a year earlier than anticipated. "I think no later than the third or fourth round," Kiper said of his pro- jection for Tremble. "Some think the second round. That might be just a little high, but there's no reason to believe he couldn't be in that second group of tight ends with Pat Freier- muth from Penn State, Hunter Long from Boston College, Tre' McKitty from Georgia. "There's no reason Tommy Trem- ble can't be graded right after Frei- ermuth and be the third tight end taken." The biggest knock on Tremble is that, despite his speed at 6-4 and 248 pounds, the honorable mention All- ACC tight end caught only 19 passes for 218 yards and no touchdowns in 2020. "He had some drops this year," Kiper said. "He's not as depend- able and reliable catching the ball as you'd want. He made some improve- ment, and he knows he has to work on that to be a complete tight end. "He has a chance to be a really good player in this league." OG AARON BANKS Another consensus All-American, Banks is a massive interior offensive line prospect at 6-5¾ and 330 pounds. Yet, he still possesses nimble feet, which is why he earned the nick- name "Dancing Bear." There's dissension among draft analysts about where the high-up- side player will land. Could Banks be a second-round pick? It's within the realm of possibility. Pro Football Focus, on the other hand, ranks him outside its top 300 NFL Draft pros- pects. In the seven-round event, there are 257 total selections. More than likely, Banks will come off the board near the end of day two or on day three. "I have a round-three grade on him right now, but it's an early third- round grade with a chance to move up," Miller said. "It's a decent inte- rior offensive line class, but it's not great. "I would be surprised if he floats up in that group a little bit. I really like what he brings to the table." In early March, Kiper mentioned the Arizona Cardinals as a franchise interested in Banks in the second or third round. DE DAELIN HAYES The former five-star high school prospect is a bit of an enigma. Af- ter playing early in his Notre Dame career, he ended up serving as the backup for fellow classmate Julian Okwara in 2018 and 2019. He tore NOTRE DAME PLAYERS INVITED TO THE 2021 NFL COMBINE Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 NFL Scouting Combine will have a different look this year. There will be no in-person work- outs in Indianapolis (instead they will take place at colleges' pro days), all interviews and psychological testing will be virtual, and there will be limited in-person medical exams. A total of 323 draft prospects were invited to participate, 11 from Notre Dame: OG Aaron Banks QB Ian Book OT Liam Eichenberg OT Robert Hainsey DE Daelin Hayes OG Tommy Kraemer WR Javon McKinley DE Ade Ogundeji LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah TE Tommy Tremble WR Ben Skowronek "He is nothing but a consistent, all-around player. You watch him cover, you watch him play on the outside, make plays in space, get behind and get into the backfield. He's smart. Some of the tackles he made in one-on-one, open-field situations were remarkable. I haven't seen a lot of that in recent years. He did it." ESPN DRAFT ANALYST MEL KIPER JR. ON JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH