Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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IRISH IN THE NFL Nov. 4, 1 p.m. — Like recent years, this matchup between NFC North rivals features a plethora of Irish talent with the Lions boasting three players and the Vikings two. Offensive playmaker Golden Tate continues to be the top target at wideout for quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Lions, while fellow wide receiver TJ Jones and running back Theo Riddick serve as role players. Minnesota is led by star safety Harrison Smith, while new franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins will have the reliable Kyle Rudolph working the middle of the field at tight end. Oct. 7, 8:20 p.m. — Another battle with multiple former Notre Dame stars on both teams. All-Pro guard Zack Martin anchors one of the league's best offensive lines for the Cowboys, while linebacker Jaylon Smith returned to action last season after missing 2016 while recovering from the knee injury he suffered in his final college game. Smith and the Cowboys will be tasked with slowing down a Houston offense that features wide receiver Will Fuller and center Nick Martin, who also made it back in 2017 after sitting out his rookie campaign in 2016 with an injury. Oct. 21, 8:20 p.m. — Two teams on the rise heading into 2018 will meet on Sunday night in late October for what could wind up being a pivotal game in the NFC West. It will also include a potential matchup between former Irish stars in center John Sullivan for the Rams and defen - sive tackle Sheldon Day of the 49ers. Sullivan ranked as the No. 10 center in the league per Pro Football Focus last year, while Day recorded 16 total tackles and a sack in six games with San Francisco after being picked up from the Jacksonville Jaguars (six games, three tackles, one sack). The 49ers will also likely trout out No. 9 overall pick Mike McGlinchey at right tackle. TOP IRISH MATCHUPS D E T R O I T LIONS M I N N E S O T A VIKINGS AT D A L L A S COWBOYS H O U S T O N TEXANS AT L O S A N G E L E S RAMS S A N F R A N C I S C O 49ERS AT 1. Harrison Smith, S, Minnesota Vikings In Pro Football Focus' (PFF) 12 years of grading, Smith recorded the highest ever regular-season grade for a safety last fall with a 98.8 mark after he totaled 78 total tackles and tied a career high with five interceptions. That mark shattered the previous best of 94.7 (Eric Weddle in 2012) and was also the best 16-game grade of any NFL player in the 2017 campaign. Though his year- long mark dropped to 97.0 when his two playoff games were included — none of the Vikings graded out well in the 38-7 loss to Philadelphia, the eventual champions — it still ranked third in the league. Smith finished with the best passer rating allowed (22.0) among safeties since 2006 and was named Defensive Player of the Year by PFF. He earned All-Pro first- team honors for the first time and was named to his third straight Pro Bowl. Heading into 2018, Smith is ranked by PFF as the No. 15 player in the league. Additionally, he rose 28 spots from last year's finish in the NFL Network's Top 100 to check in at No. 46. 3. Golden Tate, WR, Detroit Lions For the fourth straight season, Tate recorded at least 90 catches, reeling in 92 receptions for 1,003 yards and five touchdowns in 2017. He finished first on the team in receptions and second in yards, and ranked seventh and 14th in the league, respectively, in those categories. This season will be the last of a five-year, $31 million deal he signed with the Lions in 2014. 4. Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings Though his reception numbers and yards went down this past year, Rudolph still had a Pro Bowl season while recording 57 catches for 532 yards and eight touchdowns. With new quarterback Kirk Cousins on the roster, Rudolph could see his numbers jump back up to his 2016 totals (83 receptions for 832 yards and seven scores). 5. Will Fuller, WR, Houston Texans The second-year wideout missed six games dealing with a broken collarbone and a knee injury, but still managed to catch 28 passes for 423 yards and seven touchdowns. In his first four games of the year, Fuller registered 13 receptions for 279 yards and all seven touchdowns while playing with quarterback Deshaun Watson. Once Watson went down, Fuller and the rest of the Texans wide receivers suffered pro - duction-wise. A healthy Fuller and Watson could be a dangerous combo for opposing defenses in 2018. TOP FIVE PLAYERS 2. Zack Martin, G, Dallas Cowboys Martin graced the top spot on this list last year, but the Dallas Cowboys All-Pro guard drops to No. 2 after Smith put together a stellar 2017. Martin certainly has an argument after Pro Football Focus graded him as the best offensive lineman and 16th overall player last season with a year-long grade of 92.2. He also allowed the fewest pressures among guards in the league (11). After earning an All-Pro selection (second team) and Pro Bowl nod, Martin has been selected for both in each of his first four seasons. On June 13, Martin inked a deal that makes him the highest-paid guard in NFL history, a record that belonged to Jacksonville Jaguars guard Andrew Norwell at five years for $66.5 with and $30 million guar - anteed. Martin's deal will pay him $84 million with $40 million guaranteed over six, according to reports. He will earn just more than $9 million during the final year of his rookie contract. Zack Martin is now the highest-paid guard in NFL history after signing a six-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys that will pay him $84 million with $40 million guaranteed. PHOTO BY JAMES D. SMITH/COURTESY DALLAS COWBOYS