Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 APRIL 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED his labrum four games into his senior season, which allowed him to return for a fifth year in 2020 and start at vyper end. He finished second on the team in quarterback pressures with 33 and chipped in three sacks. This earned him an invite to the Se- nior Bowl where he shined all week, dominating drills and showing an excellent burst off the edge. "I liked Notre Dame edge Daelin Hayes coming into the week," wrote NFL Draft Bible's Zack Patraw on Twitter. "I love him even more now. This kid is showing out this week. Putting everything on display. [He'll be drafted in] round two. Book it." The second round may be a bit high for Hayes, but even more modest projections have the 6-3¾, 258-pound defensive end as a day- two selection. DE ADE OGUNDEJI I t t o o k f o u r s e a s o n s b e f o re Ogundeji garnered a starting role on the Notre Dame defense. He re- sponded by leading the team in quar- terback pressures (37) and sacks (6.0). Shortly after declaring for the NFL Draft, Ogundeji was considered by Kiper the fifth-best defensive end in the class. He followed that up with a solid performance in the week of prac- tice at the Senior Bowl and in the all- star game, where he picked up a sack. "I think my best trait is that I'm re- lentless, I go 100 percent to the whis- tle," Ogundeji told TheSpun.com. "I also use my length very well when it comes to pass rushing and trying to get off the offensive lineman. "I think something I need to work on probably is having a variety of pass-rush moves — having three or four moves I can counter back off of." Some analysts have Ogundeji fall- ing to day three, but either way it ap- pears close to a lock he'll be drafted. LATE-ROUND PROJECTIONS QB IAN BOOK As a 6-0, 206-pound former three- star high school prospect, Book has already surpassed all prior expec- tations on the gridiron. With a 30-5 record as the starter, he has the most wins at quarterback in Notre Dame history and accounted for 10,465 yards of total offense and 99 touch- downs during his five-year career. "He was a really good college quarterback," Kiper said. "He im- proved. [Coach] Brian Kelly had nothing but great things to say about his leadership and what he meant to that football team." NFL teams have watched plenty of film on Book, and most scouts see him as a late-round pick or even go- ing undrafted. For instance, Kiper believes Book could be selected as high as the fourth round. Meanwhile, PFF ranks him as the No. 260 avail- able player. Either way, most teams are search- ing for a clipboard holder at the back end of the draft, not the future of the franchise. "I see a backup, who could be a guy you can have for a long time as a career backup type who gets you through a two- or three-game period if your starter got hurt," Kiper said. "I don't see him as a starting quarter- back in the NFL." OL ROBERT HAINSEY Zack Martin and Quenton Nelson were first-round draft picks out of Notre Dame in the last decade and are well on their way to Hall-of-Fame NFL careers as offensive guards. Yet, neither was ready to play as a fresh- man in South Bend. Hainsey, however, was and started at right tackle in combination with Tommy Kraemer on the 2017 Notre Dame offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award. He continued to start over the next three seasons. He doesn't have the athletic traits of Martin or Nelson, but Hainsey is a reliable technician primed for a long NFL career, likely sliding inside to guard or center. Like Hayes and Ogundeji, he helped himself with his performance at the Senior Bowl, where he played the center position for the first time in his career. He was one of two of- fensive linemen to not allow a pres- sure in the game. "Hainsey was one of the most consistent prospects this week," wrote NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah. "He played with good hands and a firm base, taking snaps at guard and tackle. The team that picks him will be getting a very polished player. "It didn't go unnoticed that the Notre Dame guys worked after prac- tice every single day, and I was told Hainsey's interviews with teams were outstanding." Defensive end Daelin Hayes shined during the week of practice at the Senior Bowl, dominating drills and showing an excellent burst off the edge. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS