Liam Eichenberg Getting Early First-Round Attention For 2021
The NFL Draft for 2020 is now complete and the focus on 2021 has already begun, and Notre Dame offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg is drawing a lot of early interest.
Several early mock drafts are listing the Notre Dame left tackle as a potential first round pick in next April's draft.
NFL Spin Zone's Cody Wilson has Eichenberg the highest of all the early mock drafts, going No. 10 to the Denver Broncos.
Notre Dame’s Liam Eichenberg is the next in a long line of impressive Fighting Irish linemen that have promising NFL careers ahead of them. At 6-6 and 305 pounds, Eichenberg is an elite mover for a player his size who effortlessly glides in passing sets. He’s got a ton of experience already as he’ll be a three-year starter at left tackle after 2020 and should be considered among the best offensive tackles in a very good class.
Draftsite.com has Eichenberg going No. 14 to the Atlanta Falcons.
Sports Illustrated draft analyst Kevin Hanson had Eichenberg in the first half of round one in his first mock draft of 2021, going to the Jacksonville Jaguars at No. 15.
While I like small-school prospect Ben Bartch, left tackle Cam Robinson will be a free agent in 2021 and there has been some speculation about moving him inside this season. A potential first-round pick had he declared in 2020, Eichenberg returns to South Bend as a three-year starter at left tackle and has the length and athletic feet to protect Trevor Lawrence’s blind side for a long time.
Jake Rill from Bleacher Report had Eichenberg going in the same spot, although to a different team. Rill has Eichenberg going to the Arizona Cardinals.
Jason McIntyre from Fox Sports has Eichenberg going No. 16 overall to the New York Jets.
Cleveland.com writer Matt Goul has Eichenberg going No. 22 overall to the Green Bay Packers.
The former St. Ignatius standout is staying in South Bend for his redshirt senior season. He started all 13 games last year at left tackle and did not allow a sack, giving up just three quarterback hits and nine hurries in 845 snaps. Of those, 496 snaps were passing plays, according to Pro Football Focus.
Neal Driscoll from Pro Football Network has Eichenberg going No. 28 in round one to the Packers.
NFL Draft Room has Eichenberg going No. 31 to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Packers had an interesting 2020 draft, but this time it is back to the basics. Despite signing Rick Wagner in free agency, right tackle remains a need.
CollegeFootballNews.com didn't have a mock draft, but it did rank Eichenberg as the 15th best overall draft prospect for the 2021 class.
Notre Dame has turned into a factor for the lines under Brian Kelly, and the 6-6, 305-pound Eichenberg is the next one up as a true left tackle at the next level. He’s not as massive as some might like, and he’ll likely be just behind the prototype-looking tackles at the top of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he can move. He’s going into his third year as a starter on the left side.
In the coming days I'll have a more thorough analysis of Eichenberg and why he has first round talent, and what he must do to live up to that standard in 2020.
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