Latest TDN Mock Draft Undervalues Notre Dame Players

One of my favorite NFL Draft analysts to read is The Draft Network’s Jordan Reid, but his latest mock draft had some head scratching selections. This is especially true when it comes to former Notre Dame players.

Reid has five former Notre Dame players in his three-round mock draft, but where some of those players were placed was, well, puzzling.

Defensive end Julian Okwara was the first former Irish player off the board in Reid’s mock draft, going in the second round (No. 57 overall) to the Houston Texans. Landing an edge rusher is certainly a priority for the Texans, who have drafted a pair of Notre Dame players in recent seasons; Will Fuller in the first round in 2016 and Nick Martin in the second round in 2015.

There were no other Irish players in the first two rounds of this mock draft.

Reid doesn’t have tight end Cole Kmet coming off the board until the third round, going No. 75 overall to the Indianapolis Colts. This is the lowest I’ve seen Kmet go in a reputable mock draft, and it was puzzling to say the least.

The TDN analyst has Kmet as the first tight end off the board, but my own prediction is this projection will be one of Reid’s worst when all is said and done. Not since 1987 have we seen a tight end not get selected in the first two rounds.

I realize many analysts like to focus on this being a “weak” tight end class, but that has nothing to do with Kmet. He is a first round talent from a size, athleticism and production standpoint. When you consider his age it only raises his draft stock in my view.

Cornerback Troy Pride Jr. is up next, going No. 82 overall to the Dallas Cowboys. Cornerback is certainly a need for the Cowboys, and Pride would give the defense a huge boost in speed. He would join former Irish star Jaylon Smith in the Cowboy defense.

Reid has the Buffalo Bills taking wide receiver Chase Claypool with the No. 86 overall pick. Putting the draft spot aside, Claypool to the Bills would make a lot of sense. Buffalo is wisely building around young quarterback Josh Allen, and the recent addition of Stefon Diggs was a huge boost to the offense.

There are three talented starters in the lineup, but they are all on the smaller side, with Diggs being the biggest at 6-0, 191. Claypool would give the Bills a big, physical wide receiver with an exceptional catch radius, which would benefit Allen.

I’ve seen other mock drafts put Claypool in the third round, so I won’t be critical of his placement here. What was puzzling for me, however, is that Reid had Michigan wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones going 20 spots higher than Claypool.

I get it, Peoples-Jones had a strong combine, but he was an average wide receiver in college. Peoples-Jones has always had top-end physical tools, but it never translated into production in college. He had zero 100-yard games and scored 14 touchdowns in three years. Claypool had five such games and scored 13 touchdowns in his senior season alone.

Could Peoples-Jones go ahead of Claypool? Of course, but the team that makes that choice will come to regret it.

Defensive end Khalid Kareem went with the very next pick to the New England Patriots with the No. 87 overall pick. New England has not drafted a Notre Dame player since it selected cornerback Mike Richardson back in 2007.

Where Kareem would fit in the Patriots 3-4 defense would be the question for me. I personally would like to see Kareem in a 3-4 defense where he could be a power outside linebacker.

You can check out Reid's entire mock draft HERE.