Notre Dame 2016 Recruiting Class Had Major NFL Draft Impact
Notre Dame's 2016 recruiting class is now completely done, and it will go down as arguably the best of the Brian Kelly tenure. The class was part of two College Football Playoff teams, it produced a pair of consensus All-Americans and it went down as hands down the best class of the Kelly era in terms of producing NFL Draft picks.
The 2016 Notre Dame recruiting class had nine players get selected over the course of three drafts (2019, 2020, 2021). The next closest classes (2011, 2013, 2015) had just five drafted prospects.
The most impressive part of the class was the fact all four of the defensive end signees in the class ended up being drafted (Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem, Daelin Hayes, Adetokunbo Ogundeji). It also had four skill players, which also was the best among Notre Dame's draft classes under Kelly.
Here's a breakdown of where the 2016 class went in the NFL Draft.
Two other players from the class - cornerback Donte' Vaughn and safety Jalen Elliott - signed as free agents after going undrafted, and both stuck with the teams they signed with. Vaughn signed with the Chargers and Elliott signed with the Lions.
Here's a look at the NFL Draftees for the rest of the Notre Dame draft classes.
2011 CLASS
2013 CLASS
Cornerback Cole Luke signed with the Carolina Panthers and he spent three seasons there and played in 13 games. He is now with the Washington Football Team.
2015 CLASS
Three members of the 2015 class also signed as undrafted free agents. Linebacker Asmar Bilal signed with the Los Angeles Chargers out of college, was on the roster all season and played in two games as a rookie. Josh Adams was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles out of Notre Dame and led the Eagles in rushing in 2018. He has played in 25 career games and has five career starts. Adams is now with the New York Jets. Jalen Guyton transferred to North Texas and went undrafted. He signed with the Los Angeles Chargers and played in all 16 games this past season, starting nine. Guyton hauled in 28 passes for 511 yards (18.3 YPC) and three touchdowns in 2020.
2010 CLASS
2012 CLASS
Defensive end Romeo Okwara and safety Matthias Farley were also part of the 2012 class, but neither went drafted. Okwara signed with the New York Giants out of college and is now a member of the Detroit Lions. Okwara racked up 10 sacks in 2020, which earned him a 3-year, $39 million dollar free agent contract this offseason. Farley has started 18 games in his NFL career and has racked up 158 career tackles, including 98 in 2017 for the Indianapolis Colts.
2017 CLASS
The 2017 class has yet to fully complete its tenure in Notre Dame. Michael Young (who is now at Cincinnati) has another year left. Avery Davis, Joshua Lugg, Drew White, Kurt Hinish, Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa and Jonathan Doerer are all expected to be starters next season and therefore could develop into draft picks with strong seasons and strong performances leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft.
2014 CLASS
Offensive linemen Alex Bars and Sam Mustipher went undrafted after the 2018 season, but both signed with the Chicago Bears. Bars started eight games for the Bears this past season and Mustipher started seven games.
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Notre Dame Continues Producing Premium Offensive Line Draft Picks
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Miami Dolphins Draft Notre Dame OL Liam Eichenberg
Cleveland Browns Draft Notre Dame Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
San Francisco 49ers Draft Notre Dame OL Aaron Banks
Carolina Panthers Draft Notre Dame Tight End Tommy Tremble
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Draft Notre Dame OL Robert Hainsey
New Orleans Saints Draft Notre Dame Quarterback Ian Book
Baltimore Ravens Draft Notre Dame Defensive End Daelin Hayes
Atlanta Falcons Draft Notre Dame Defensive End Adetokunbo Ogundeji
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