Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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UNDER THE DOME last year," Wright said. "I don't think the league did either. I'm pretty sure he got a day-two grade [second or third round] from the league. Could he have been a first-round pick last year? It wouldn't have shocked me. He would have been in that conversation. "This year, I think he's clearly in the top half of the first round. Maybe in the top 10 overall. Person- ally I like Laremy Tunsil from Ole Miss a little bet- ter. I think he's going to be in the mix to be the No. 1 overall pick in the entire draft. After Tunsil, Stan- ley's right there battling [Ohio State tackle] Taylor Decker to be that next blocker off the board." In addition to Smith, junior wide receiver Will Fuller, senior cornerback KeiVarae Russell, junior running back Tarean Folston and senior run- ning back C.J. Prosise all have to decide one way or the other by Jan. 18. Fuller told reporters in November that he would return to South Bend for his senior season, but ad- mitted in December that he still had a decision to make. A source told Blue & Gold Illustrated that Fuller had told some people that he would be headed to the NFL fol- lowing the bowl game. "Hands. That's the big- gest thing. He still has too many drops," Wright said. "Pretty much on an every-game basis there's one or two balls he drops that he should catch. "If he comes out this year, I think he'll be more in the day-two range. I don't think he'll be a first-round pick, but I will say that it is kind of crowded at wide receiver right now after Laquon Treadwell of Ole Miss, who's another under- classman. After that, Will Fuller would probably be in the conversation of that next group of a half- dozen wideouts in this class. "I think he'd be more of a day-two pick just because of inconsistent hands and a little bit of a slight build. He doesn't necessarily have that pro- totypical bulk that you look for." Russell, who originally seemed set on entering the NFL Draft following his junior season, had to change his plans when that third season was wiped out in 2014 due to his suspension as part of the academic investiga- tion. In his return as a se- nior in 2015, he struggled with consistency before suffering a fractured tibia Nov. 21. If he chooses to return to Notre Dame, he would need to be cleared by the NCAA because of the suspension aspect. Prosise and Folston are in different situations, but both would be part of a crowded backfield with rising sophomores Josh Adams and Dexter Wil- liams and incoming fresh- men Deon McIntosh and Tony Jones in 2016. ✦ Junior running back Tarean Folston led Notre Dame in rush- ing in 2014, but a season-ending injury in this year's opener side- lined him the entire year. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND