Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1368856
48 JUNE/JULY 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY ANDREW MENTOCK F or Notre Dame, the 2021 NFL Draft began with disappoint- ment as a program favorite defied projec- tion and slipped out of the first round. But the three-day, seven- r o u n d e v e n t u l t i - mately proved historic for the Irish. Over the course of 259 picks, nine Notre Dame players were se- lected, the most since 1994 when 10 Golden Domers were drafted. In total, the Irish now have 520 NFL Draft picks all time, more than any other program in the country. "If you just look at our situation, in particular, with nine players be- ing drafted again, it's so much more about p r e p a r i n g t h e m , " N o t re D a m e h e a d c o a c h B r i a n K e l l y said. "The total prep- aration is not just in the physical, it's cer- tainly in the mental preparation as well. These guys had to go through a pandemic and play during a very difficult time. They're evaluated in all phases." Notre Dame tied Georgia for the third-most players taken in the 2021 NFL Draft. Alabama and Ohio State, the two programs that played one another in the 2020 season's College Football Playoff championship game, each had 10 selections. JEREMIAH OWUSU-KORAMOAH BECOMES A SECOND-ROUND STEAL The one area of the draft where Notre Dame came up short? First- round selections. For the first time under Kelly, the Irish have gone back-to-back seasons without a player going in the open- ing round. PREPARED FOR SUCCESS Nine Fighting Irish players were selected in the 2021 NFL Draft 2021 NFL DRAFT PICKS BY SCHOOL Rk. School Total Draftees 1. Alabama 10 Ohio State 10 3. Georgia 9 Notre Dame 9 5. Florida 8 Michigan 8 7. LSU 7 8. Kentucky 6 Penn State 6 Pittsburgh 6 The Cleveland Browns considered taking Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah with their first-round pick at No. 26 overall, but instead got him in the second round with the No. 52 selection after a medical issue — which he was eventually cleared from — caused him to slide down draft boards. PHOTO BY MATT STARKEY/CLEVELAND BROWNS