The opening round of the NFL Draft came and went Thursday night with no Notre Dame players hearing their names called. Entering the night it felt like it’d be an upset to hear any of their names called but a few things that would have been seen as upsets played out on night one.
What happens now in the second round? Before night two of the NFL Draft kicks off at 7 p.m. ET tonight, let’s look at where the USA TODAY has one Notre Dame player going in round two.
From Nate Davis on Friday morning:
40. Houston Texans (from Arizona Cardinals) – Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame: With the pick acquired in the dubious DeAndre Hopkins deal, why not give QB Deshaun Watson a weapon who can help protect him, unleash the run game and bust a few big gainers down the seams?
Kmet is the only Notre Dame player going in Davis’s second round mock. Houston would be a nice fit, at least in terms of quarterback as perhaps the best receiver in the entire league was who Houston traded. I wouldn’t want to be associated with Bill O’Brien as a general manager but there are far worse offenses to get your NFL feet wet in than the Texans.
I know a lot of attention goes to Claypool but the one I’d be most surprised by not getting their name called in round two in Julian Okwara. He didn’t have the dominating final season with Notre Dame in terms of actual sack numbers and some may use the late-season injury against him but he stayed healthy previous to that with the Irish. He seems like a mid-second round talent to me and can’t help but see the potential steal someone may be getting if he in fact does not go in round two.