Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/669106
UPON FURTHER REVIEW TODD D. BURLAGE B rian Kelly kept a low profile and didn't stick around Notre Dame's pro day festivities par- ticularly long while a bumper crop of his former players auditioned for the NFL on campus inside the Loftus Center March 31. T h e I r i s h h e a d coach made more of a token appearance, stealing a few min- utes to survey the crowded landscape from a distance, and bask for a bit in the fruits of his coaching and recruiting efforts. In the largest con- tingent of partici- pants, media mem- bers, NFL personnel and the casually curi- ous ever to make up a pro day gathering at Notre Dame, 17 former Irish players worked through a variety of agility, speed and strength drills in the hopes of raising their pro- file for the NFL Draft. Kelly looked on as his players worked out — no leftovers from a previous regime. They are a group that has a legitimate chance later this month at making up the largest Notre Dame draft class since first-rounders Bryant Young (defensive lineman), Aaron Taylor (offensive lineman) and Jeff Burris (defensive back) high- lighted 10 Irish players taken in the 1994 draft. When asked to assess the scene and talent, NFL Network draft ana- lyst and former Notre Dame football color commentator, Mike Mayock, passed along glowing re- views. "There will be eight to 10 Notre Dame kids drafted. There will be at least five kids go in the first 75 picks," Mayock said in an interview im- mediately after the w o r k o u t s . " W h a t you're seeing here is a staff that knows how to recognize tal- ent, knows how to get them on campus, and then knows how to develop them." Scott Wright, founder and presi- dent of NFLDraftCoutdown.com, now projects at least six former Notre Dame players — offensive tackle Ron- nie Stanley, linebacker Jaylon Smith, wide receiver Will Fuller, defensive tackle Sheldon Day, center Nick Mar- tin and running back C.J. Prosise — to all be selected within the first three rounds of the draft in Chicago during the weekend of April 28-30. And it's The Magnificence And Misery Of Pro Day At least six former Irish players — offen‑ sive tackle Ronnie Stanley (pictured), linebacker Jaylon Smith, wide receiver Will Fuller, defensive tackle Sheldon Day, center Nick Martin and running back C.J. Prosise — could hear their named called during the first three rounds of the NFL Draft April 28‑30. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND