Notre Dame Poised to Extend Dominance in Historical College Football Stat

Notre Dame Has Nation-Leading 538 all-time NFL draft picks

Including the six Notre Dame football players drafted into the NFL in 2025, Notre Dame has now had a record high 538 players selected in the NFL draft. Interestingly enough, the team in second place just so happens to be Notre Dame's arch nemesis USC, with an impressive 533 players selected overall. While some years produce more NFL picks than others, in the grand scheme of things, Notre Dame owning this record is a testament to the Irish's high-level longevity at the top level of the sport.

This record is one that each recruit should be well aware of as proof of concept that not only can one get a world-class education in South Bend, but also that the NFL dream is alive and well as a reality for those blessed with special gridiron gifts.

No school has produced more NFL Draft picks than the University of Notre Dame ☘️

Watch Pro Day live on @peacock right now#GoIrish☘️ pic.twitter.com/89uiYsKD6A
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) March 27, 2025

The Freeman era will soon help boost Notre Dame's draft pick lead

Marcus Freeman and his staff have done a great job reshaping the Irish roster. Freeman-era teams are longer, faster, more athletic, and deeper than anything that has come before in the last three decades of Notre Dame Football.

What comes next as the Freeman-era players begin to get to "draft age", should be an extension of the NFL draft pick lead. Freeman and company are identifying "NFL traits" in high school players and then developing them into great college players quickly. This will bode very well when it comes to future draft pick amounts.

Make no mistake about it folks, Notre Dame is in "win title now" mode for the rest of the Freeman era. The talent and depth have improved, and Freeman himself is finding more comfort as the head man. Momentum is palpable around this program and its reasonable to expect continued high-level on-field results and an uptick in high-round NFL picks as well.

These are exciting times in South Bend. The Notre Dame football program is on the most solid footing its been on since the heyday of Lou Holtz, the only thing left to do is win the national title, a feat that not that long ago seemed so far-fetched but feels like a very realistic yearly goal now.

My, how quickly things can change.

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