Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 OCT. 17, 2026 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY TODD D. BURLAGE W ith Rams running back Kyren Wil- liams, Ravens safety Kyle Hamil- ton, Colts place-kicker Spencer Shrader and several other former Irish players piling up statistics and grabbing all the headlines from their high-profile posi- tions, Notre Dame's many NFL offen- sive linemen often receive little recogni- tion for their thankless work. But a glance around the NFL through the early part of this season shows that the work these unsung Irish heroes are doing shouldn't be dismissed. Just this past weekend in the NFL, former Irish All-American and Colts perennial All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson helped pave the way for 95 rush- ing yards and 2 touchdowns for tailback Jonathan Taylor in a dominant 30-13 victory over Washington Oct. 4 in Lon- don, England. Through the first four games of the NFL season, Taylor was tied for fifth in the league with 353 rushing yards and was third with 6 rushing touchdowns. "Those guys up front set the tempo for us all game," Taylor said after the Colts' win when asked about the work of his O-line. "When they're coming off the ball like that and getting movement, it makes my job easy." Meanwhile, later that day in Balti- more, 11th-year Ravens left tackle Ron- nie Stanley was paving the way for tail- back Derrick Henry to record 73 rushing yards and 1 touchdown in a 24-18 win at home against Tennessee. In all, six former Irish offensive linemen landed starting spots with NFL teams this season, and at least another three serve as backups. A m o n g t h e s ta r te rs , Chargers right tackle Joe Alt — a 2025 Pro Bowl se- lection and a 2024 All- Rookie team honoree — returned to the lineup this season fully recovered after missing much of last season following ankle surgery, though he was sidelined in the second half of his game against Seattle Oct. 4 with a neck injury. In addition, ninth-year NFL veteran Mike Mc- Glinchey is back at starting right tackle for his fourth season with the Denver Broncos. S ta n l ey ( 2 0 1 6 ) , Ne l - son (2018), McGlinchey (2018) and Alt (2024) are all former first-round draft picks out of Notre Dame. Of all the former Irish offensive linemen to graduate to NFL careers, Nelson is on track to become the best ever. The model of consistency, Nelson, a 2017 unanimous All-American for Notre Dame and the No. 6 overall pick in the 2018 draft, has been a Pro Bowl se- lection in each of his first eight seasons and is also a six-time All-Pro honoree. "Obviously, he has the physical traits that you want at that position," Colts head coach Shane Steichen said about his perennial All-Pro. "But again, it's the physical traits, but it's also his mind too, the way he sees the game." Nelson is only the second offensive lineman in NFL history along with Cleveland's Joe Thomas, to make eight Pro Bowls in his first eight seasons. "The key word is consistency," said Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buck- ner, who works against Nelson every day in practice. "I know the type of player and person Q is. He comes, he puts in his work every offseason, throughout the season, putting in the extra work. And it comes to fruition every year." ✦ Former Irish Offensive Linemen Making A Big NFL Impact I R I S H I N T H E P R O S Perennial All-Pro left guard Quenton Nelson (left) helped pave the way for 95 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns for tailback Jonathan Taylor (right) in a dominating 30-13 win over Washington Oct. 4 in London, England. PHOTO COURTESY INDIANAPOLIS COLTS FIGHTING IRISH HEADLINERS Malachi Fields (Played at Notre Dame in 2025), WR, New York Giants, NFL The rookie pass catcher scored the first touchdown of his NFL career in a 36-24 victory over Arizona Oct. 4 to push his surprising Giants to 3-1 on the season. The 2026 third-round draft pick recorded 2 receptions for a career-high 52 yards in the game, including a 12-yard touchdown grab from quarterback Jameis Winston in the second quarter that brought the Giants to within 14-12 and helped spark the comeback win. Michael Mayer (2020-22), TE, Las Vegas Raiders, NFL The 2023 second-round draft pick continued the best start to a season during his four-year career when he recorded 8 catches for 82 yards — the second-most during his career in both categories — in a tough 30-27 loss to the Chiefs Oct. 4. Through the first four games this season, the 2022 Irish All-American already had 20 receptions for 169 yards and 1 touchdown. Kyren Williams (2019-21), RB, Los Angeles Rams, NFL The fifth-year NFL veteran continued to shine as one of the best dual-threat tailbacks in the NFL when he recorded 80 rushing yards with 2 touchdowns and added a career-high 10 receptions for 67 yards in a thrilling 24-20 win against the Philadelphia Eagles Oct. 4. Through four games this season, the 2022 fifth-round draft pick ranked 12th in the NFL with 294 rushing yards and was fifth in the league with 5.4 yards per carry.