Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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according to Wright, demonstrating the ability to handle multiple roles is what is going to help them. "The more you can do, the better," Wright said. "It's especially true with those late-round picks and with what they do on special teams. If you're going to be a late- round pick, you are going to have to contribute on special teams to make the roster." While Brindza, w h o i s r a n k e d by Wright as the No. 2 kicker in the draft class, already plays on special teams, he's sell- ing himself as a specialist that can do it all — kicks, punts and kick- offs. Wright said that flexibility will be more important for Brindza, given the NFL numbers crunch and limited roster space, but he also mentioned that it's even more critical for McDan- iel and Riggs. McDaniel measured 5-9, 185 pounds at the Pro Day and ran a time of 6.78 in the three-cone drill — which would have been the best number out of any running back at the 2015 NFL Com- bine. "What we have been trying to mar- ket with me is versatility," McDaniel said. "When you look at guys who are my size and my build — guys like [NFL wide receivers] Julian Edelman, Cole Beasley and Danny Woodhead — they have the ability to get matched up on linebackers and just give head- aches. That's what I feel like I'm go- ing to be really good at, so that's why I'm also looking to play in the slot." The Dallas Cow- boys invited Mc- Daniel to work out at the team's training facility in mid-April, and he spent the tail end of the session f i e l d i n g p u n t s . McDaniel never returned punts in his time at Notre D a m e , b u t h e knows that if he's going to make it at the next level, he's going to have to do things with which he's not as familiar. The same can be said about Riggs. The graduate student transfer from Florida started 36 games in his career at a variety of different positions in the secondary. He was primarily a safety and nickel with the Gators, and then played cornerback for the Irish. "I feel like my niche is going to be some combination of nickel, corner- back and safety — basically what I did in college, playing all three," Riggs said. "Teams have talked to me about all three positions, so versatility is im- portant." ✦ Cody Riggs may have value to NFL teams because of his ability to play a variety of different positions in the secondary. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND