Sports Illustrated Mock Draft Is Filled With Notre Dame Players
Sports Illustrated released its latest mock for the 2020 NFL Draft, and it’s a busy one for former Notre Dame players. SI draft analyst Kevin Hanson had five Irish players in his three-round mock draft, with three going in the second round.
First off the board in Hanson’s mock draft is defensive end Julian Okwara, who is slated to go No. 40 overall to the Houston Texans.
I’ve said all along that Okwara going to a 3-4 defense would be the ideal for his future. Playing in a two-point stance would be natural for him after playing the drop position the last three seasons at Notre Dame. Okwara needs to improve as a run defender, but he has experience in coverage and he has one of the highest ceilings as a pass rusher in this draft. Houston is in desperate need of an impact edge rusher.
Up next is tight end Cole Kmet, who is projected to go No. 51 to the Dallas Cowboys.
If Kmet falls to No. 51 - something I’m skeptical of - it would be an absolute coup for the Cowboys. Dallas needs to add more weapons to the offense, and a big body like Kmet would become a security blanket for quarterback Dak Prescott. A big middle-of-the-field weapon would also take some pressure off wide receiver Amari Cooper, who just got a huge contract to stay with the Cowboys.
The Texans double dipped with Notre Dame players in this mock draft, selecting wide receiver Chase Claypool in the second round with the No. 57 overall pick.
Claypool would give the Texans a big-body that it lacks on the current roster. It would be unfair to say he’s a replacement for DeAndre Hopkins, who averaged 101 catches for 1,318 yards and nine touchdowns the last five seasons, but Claypool does add similar traits in a bigger body. The former Irish standout and his huge catch radius would be a welcome addition to the roster.
It would also be good to see Claypool and former Irish star Will Fuller in the same lineup.
Just outside round two is cornerback Troy Pride Jr., who Hanson has going No. 68 overall to the New York Giants. Of course, this would put the dynamic cornerback duo from the 2018 Notre Dame defense in the same secondary. The Giants drafted former Irish All-American Julian Love in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.
Love is more of a slot/safety player for the Giants, and Pride would give the secondary a boost in speed and man coverage skills. Pride in the slot would also protect him a bit against the one area where his game suffers, which is playing the ball down the field on outside routes.
In this mock draft the Baltimore Ravens go with defensive end Khalid Kareem in the third round with the No. 106 overall back. This would be a great fit for Kareem, who brings positional flexibility to a defense that Pro Football Focus draft analyst Steve Palazzolo describes as “positionless football.”
Kareem could play with his hand down on the edge or inside in a 5-technique, and he could be a standout outside linebacker in the mold of Bradley Chubb of the Denver Broncos.
Join the Irish Breakdown community!
Subscribe to the Irish Breakdown podcast on iTunes.
Follow me on twitter: @CoachD178
