Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/669106
BY ANDREW OWENS S eventeen former Irish players participated in the program's pro day March 31 in front of 31 NFL teams and 72 team per- sonnel with on- field drills, mea- surement testing and interviews. F o r s o m e , i t m a r k e d t h e f i - nal test prior to the NFL Draft, which will be held April 28-30 in Chi- cago. Some players, such as wide re- ceiver Will Fuller, i m p r e s s e d s o much at the NFL Combine that they could afford to sit out certain drills like the 40-yard dash. For others, such as wide re- ceiver Chris Brown and cornerback KeiVarae Russell, the pro day test- ing carried significant weight after not being able to do so at the NFL Combine. EVERETT GOLSON RETURNS After participating in Notre Dame's pro day, quarterback Everett Golson said it felt like he never left campus. The Myrtle Beach, S.C., native left the Irish for Florida State as a gradu- ate transfer last summer and posted a 7-1 record as a starter for the Semi- noles in 2015. Golson started for the Irish as a sophomore in 2012, guiding the team to a 12-1 record. After serving a sus- pension in 2013, he returned to school in 2014. Notre Dame began the season 7-1 before falling apart with four con- secutive losses to end the regular sea- son, due in large part to Golson's turnover woes. The quarterback is now hoping for a shot in the NFL and returned to S o u t h B e n d t o throw to some of his former team- mates — Fuller, Brown and Amir Carlisle. " T h i s i s m y alma mater," he said. "I got my degree from here. I wanted to be here with those guys. As it turns out, I didn't have any wide receiv- ers [headed for the draft] at FSU. I wanted also to be back with these guys one last time. "It's kind of a big moment when you really think about it. You've got guys out here who will probably never be in the same spot together again. "For me, that was very important — getting out here, throwing to guys I've been comfortable with." Golson said he felt like "a long lost brother coming home." "[I have] not skipped a beat. That's the thing," he said. "It's been good. It's not like I'm some brand new guy. DRAFT BOUND Notre Dame held its annual pro day March 31 at the Loftus Sports Center