Notre Dame 2021 Draft Class Was Among The Best In College Football
Notre Dame ended up with a deep 2021 NFL Draft class, as nine former Fighting Irish players heard their names called this weekend as draft picks. It was one of Notre Dame's best draft classes in decades, and one of the best among all college football programs.
Here is a rundown of Notre Dame's nine draft picks.
Round 2 (42) - Liam Eichenberg, OL, Miami Dolphins
Round 2 (48) - Aaron Banks, OL, San Francisco 49ers
Round 2 (52) - Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Cleveland Browns
Round 3 (83) - Tommy Tremble, TE, Carolina Panthers
Round 3 (95) - Robert Hainsey, OL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Round 4 (133) - Ian Book, QB, New Orleans Saints
Round 5 (171) - Daelin Hayes, Edge, Baltimore Ravens
Round 5 (182) - Adetokunbo Ogundeji, DE, Atlanta Falcons
Round 7 (249) - Ben Skowronek, WR, Los Angeles Rams
Notre Dame's nine picks in one class were its most since 10 players got selected in 1994. That was the year in which the draft was reduced to just seven rounds.
The previous best mark of the Brian Kelly tenure was 2014, when the Irish had eight players selected. Notre Dame had five players taken in the first three rounds, which is tied with the 2014 class for the most. There were six Irish players take in the first three rounds of the 2016 draft.
Notre Dame's draft class also stacked up very well with the nation's best programs. Here's a look at how the Irish ranked in terms of drafted players:
Clemson, Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, USC, Oregon, Stanford, BYU, Missouri and UCF all had five players selected.
Alabama clearly dominated the 2021 NFL Draft in terms of high-round draft picks, with eight players going in the first two rounds. Notre Dame stacked up very well against everyone else. The Irish had just one fewer total picks than Ohio State and just one fewer high-round picks (rounds 1-3).
Not getting drafted doesn't mean a player's NFL dreams are over, and a number of former Notre Dame players also signed free agent contracts already.
Nick McCloud, Cornerback - Buffalo Bills
Tommy Kraemer, Guard - Detroit Lions
Javon McKinley, Wide Receiver - Detroit Lions
Brock Wright, Tight End - Detroit Lions
Shaun Crawford, Safety - Las Vegas Raiders
Related Content
Notre Dame Leads The Way For Day Two Draft Picks
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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