Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com JUNE/JULY 2021 51 drafted with Kelly at the helm. The other was DeShone Kizer, a second- round pick by the Cleveland Browns in 2017. But four seasons later, Kizer is barely hanging onto an NFL career after spending 2020 on the Las Vegas Raiders' and Tennessee Titans' prac- tice squads. Does this indicate Notre Dame has trouble developing quarterbacks? Some say yes, even if Kelly believes otherwise. "We've had success with quar- terbacks," Kelly said. "My job is to win football games and develop our players to the best of their ability. Whether that means that they be- come great NFL players, we're go- ing to prepare them the best we can and sometimes it's out of our control what happens at that next level. "They've got to get in the right place, the right fit." DEFENSIVE END DUO GOES IN FIFTH ROUND After five seasons playing defen- sive end together at Notre Dame, Daelin Hayes and Ade Ogundeji both landed in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Hayes went to the Ravens, his fa- vorite team as a child, with the No. 171 overall pick and should fit into Baltimore's defense well after five seasons and three different defensive coordinator at Notre Dame. "Versatility — they love that in that multiple 3-4, 4-3 front that they run, and that's exactly what Daelin Hayes brings," ESPN NFL Draft ana- lyst Todd McShay said. "… This past year, he finally turned it on; the light bulb came on. The first few years at Notre Dame, he just wasn't all that productive." A little bit later, Ogundeji was se- lected with the No. 182 overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons. Per Spotrac's rookie wage scale, both will receive four-year deals worth about $3.7 million. With both Ogundeji and Hayes hearing their names called, four of Notre Dame's 2016 defensive ends became NFL Draft picks. Julian Ok- wara and Khalid Kareem were se- lected in 2020 in the third and fifth rounds, respectively. All four were captains at Notre Dame. "It starts with the young men that we recruit to Notre Dame and know that we're looking for somebody that is much more than just about football," Kelly said. "That they have leadership skills, that they can overcome the academics that are ex- tremely difficult here and it's going to shape them into being the best versions of themselves." Also a member of the 2016 recruit- ing class, defensive end Jamir Jones recently signed as a free agent with the Pittsburgh Steelers after going undrafted in 2020. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED FOR BEN SKOWRONEK An early season-ending injury in his final fall at Northwestern pro- vided Ben Skowronek with the op- portunity to take the graduate trans- fer route for one more collegiate season. He explored his options and landed on Notre Dame as his final college destination, with the hope a season in South Bend could give him the platform necessary to reach the next level. Even after a hamstring injury side- lined Skowronek early in the season, he still had 29 catches for 444 yards and a team-high five receiving touch- downs in 2020. He also excelled as a run blocker, with Pro Football Focus awarding him the highest run-block- ing grade of any Football Bowl Sub- division receiver last fall (minimum 50 snaps). On day three of the 2021 NFL Draft, his dream became a reality when the Los Angeles Rams snagged Skow- ronek in the seventh round with the No. 249 pick. Per Spotrac's rookie wage scale, Skowronek will sign a four-year deal worth $3.56 million. This comes after a foot injury suf- fered leading up to the 2021 Senior Bowl prevented the 6-3, 220-pound wide receiver from fully participat- ing in the NFL evaluation process. At Notre Dame's pro day, Skow- ronek was unable to participate in any of the athletic testing drills and prove he was faster than most gave him credit for. "My speed has been doubted," Skowronek said prior to the pro day. "I was so excited to get on the field and run that 40-yard dash and shut everybody up. You can talk to ev- ery strength coach I've had. My GPS speeds have been the fastest on the team [at Northwestern]. "I was going to run fast. I'm not going to put a time out there, but I've seen times and been faster than those guys when I was training with them." In four consecutive drafts, a Notre Dame wide receiver has been selected. The prior three are Chase Claypool (2020), Miles Boykin (2019) and Equa- nimeous St. Brown (2018). ✦ NOTRE DAME'S UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS By midnight after the draft's completion, all five of Notre Dame's draft-eligible players that were not selected had signed with an NFL franchise: • Shaun Crawford, DB, Las Vegas Raiders • Tommy Kraemer, OG, Detroit Lions • Nick McCloud, CB, Buffalo Bills • Javon McKinley, WR, Detroit Lions • Brock Wright, TE, Detroit Lions Daelin Hayes played defensive end at Notre Dame but was announced as an outside linebacker by the Baltimore Ravens, who selected him in the fifth round. GRAPHIC COURTESY BALTIMORE RAVENS