Category: Irish in NFL

NFL Draft: Notre Dame’s Tony Jones, Jr. Combine Bound

Good news came the way of one of those exact players Tuesday as Tony Jones, Jr. posted the following to Instagram

As we continue to prepare for the NFL Draft, the next step welcomes the top prospects in the 2020 NFL Draft to Indianapolis for the annual combine.

40 yard dashes, vertical leap, bench press reps, interviews and everything else will be used in Indiana’s capital city to help teams decide who they ultimately select and who they avoid.

Notre Dame figures to have several representatives with a few others remaining tossups as to if they get invitations or not.

Good news came the way of one of those exact players Tuesday as Tony Jones, Jr. posted the following to Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

See y’all in Indy ✈️✌🏾

A post shared by Tony T. Jones Jr. (@thats_6ixx) on

I hope Jones turns heads and gets himself selected. When we looked at Matt Miller of Bleacher Report’s Seven Round Mock Draft, he had Jones going in the seventh round.

That will probably remain a tossup but here’s to hoping he turns some heads. One part of his game he unfortunately won’t be able to highlight these coming days in Indy will be his pass-protection. I truly feel he isn’t just acceptable at it but legit good. However they don’t so much do pass-protection drills to showcase running backs at the scouting combine.

Knock em dead, 6.

8 Notre Dame Players Listed in Matt Miller’s Full Mock Draft

Time will tell but recent trends in some of the most-respected draft analysts mock drafts have had fewer and fewer former Fighting Irish going in round one.

April 23 will bring the start of the 2020 NFL Draft, this year being held in Las Vegas as part of the NFL’s celebration of bringing the league to Vegas with the Raiders.

How many Notre Dame players will we see drafted in those three days?  Time will tell but recent trends in some of the most-respected draft analysts mock drafts have had fewer and fewer former Fighting Irish going in round one.

Matt Miller from Bleacher Report released his full seven round mock draft this weekend and had eight different Notre Dame players getting selected.  Now who were they and where did he have them going?

R1 – 30:  Cole Kmet, TE, Green Bay Packers
R2 – 54:  Julian Okwara, Edge Rusher, Buffalo Bills
R3 – 75:  Khalid Kareem, Edge Rusher, Indianapolis Colts
R3 – 94:  Chase Claypool, WR, Green Bay Packers
R4 – 145:  Troy Pride, Jr., CB, Baltimore Ravens
R5 – 153:  Jalen Elliott, S, Arizona Cardinals
R6 – 196:  Alohi Gilman, S, New England Patriots
R7 – 241:  Tony Jones, Jr., RB, Miami Dolphins

A few thoughts on this one:

First off, as a Chicago Bears fan I despise the idea of both Kmet and Claypool going to Green Bay.  Jimmy Graham is washed up at tight end while aside from Davante Adams, there aren’t many options for Aaron Rodgers to throw to.  Kmet and Claypool fix that issue, especially when you factor in the ridiciulous depth of talent at wide receiver in this draft being the only reason Claypool would be a fourth round pick.

Okwara not only not in the first round but really not sniffing the first round.  It certainly is starting to seem like it’s going to be Kmet or bust for that first round.

Troy Pride, Jr. as a fourth round pick by the Ravens feels like the kind of Ravens defensive pick that you see, don’t think a ton about initally and then you look up six years later and he’s still a mainstay on that defense.

Alohi Gilman as a reserve safety and special teams player for the Patriots seems like the most Bill Belichick sixth round draft pick ever…well, besides that Brady guy.

Tony Jones, Jr. gets selected in this one.  I know the All-Star games don’t carry nearly the weight as the practices before them do but he had a rather weak showing a few weeks back in Tampa and I’ll be pleasantly surprised if his name is called and he’s not an undrafted free agent.

Fighting Irish Wire: Staff Super Bowl Picks

So what happens Sunday when Kansas City tries to end their 50 year title drought and San Francisco tries to join the Steelers and Patriots as the only teams with six Super Bowls?

What happens Sunday evening in the final football game we get until late August?

Alright, that’s said an no offense is meant to the XFL or fans/players of any other league but you catch my drift.

So what happens Sunday when Kansas City tries to end their 50 year title drought and San Francisco tries to join the Steelers and Patriots as the only teams with six Super Bowls?

Here is how the Fighting Irish Wire Staff sees Super Bowl Sunday going:

Mike Chen: Chiefs 35, 49ers 24

Pat Mahomes is just too damn good and proves to be too much for the 49ers to handle.

Geoffrey Clark: Chiefs 35, 49ers 17

Mahomes is built for moments like this and when the lights shine brightest he won’t disappoint. Not exactly a reach but he’s easily the MVP come 10 pm Sunday.

Jeff Feyerer: Chiefs 27, 49ers 23

The Chiefs just have so many weapons I don’t know how you stop them. Sure the 49ers have a great running game but I trust the KC game plan and secondary to both be better against that running game than the Packers were.

Nick Shepkowski: Chiefs 27, 49ers 24

Oddity of this game is that the stats don’t match the narrative. The 49ers actually allowed more points than the Chiefs did this year while the Niners also out-scored Kansas City in 2019. Defense wins championships, right?! Chiefs in a classic.

Notre Dame projected to be featured on ESPN’s GameDay 3 times in 2020 Season

Brad Crawford projects ESPN’s College GameDay locations for the 2020 season and has them seeing Notre Dame multiple times.

ESPN has already announced where their first edition of College GameDay will be next year, they will travel with Notre Dame and Army to Dublin, Ireland for their August 29th, 2020 contest in Aviva Stadium. This will be GameDay’s first ever broadcast outside of the United States. The Irish have a long history of playing games outside the country, dating back to October of 1954 when they played Eastern New Mexico in Canada, with games against Miami in Japan in 1979, and this coming season will mark the 3rd time the Irish have played in Dublin.

Brad Crawford of 247Sports predicted where College GameDay would make their other stops for next year, and Irish fans will be happy to see Crawford predicting at least two more contests where ESPN’s pregame show will be present.

Crawford projects the second visit for GameDay to see the Irish in their week 5 matchup against Wisconsin at historic Lambeau Field. This game makes plenty of sense for GameDay to attend, a potential top 10 matchup in an NFL stadium. The only other game I see that has a possibility for GameDay to attend is Baylor visiting Oklahoma, but Edwards projects them visiting Oklahoma the week after, so Wisconsin against the Irish makes the most sense.

The third potential trip for GameDay featuring the Irish would be the contest against Clemson in South Bend in week 10. This game is a toss-up with the Alabama vs LSU contest, but it remains to be seen how this year’s champions will recover from the mass exodus of talent to the NFL including presumed #1 overall pick QB Joe Burrow. If both Notre Dame and Clemson are undefeated, it will be an easy choice, but if all four teams are unscathed that late into the season, GameDay will have a major choice on their hands.

The Irish have a schedule that sets them up for a potential run at a College Football Playoff spot and having marquee games on the schedule, as long as they win them, will be important to getting a top 4 ranking to qualify for a chance to compete for a National Championship.

Joe Montana Not Playing Favorites in Super Bowl

You, me and pretty much everyone else who has watched football may remember Montana as a 49er, but he’s not claiming that headed into a Super Bowl between his two former teams.

Johnny Unitas as a Charger, Joe Namath as a Ram or Franco Harris as a Seahawk. There are countless NFL legends who you remember playing for one team but who finished their careers in different uniforms.

Joe Montana is one of those guys, leading the 49ers to a decade of dominance in the eighties before being turned away in favor of Steve Young.

Montana still had something left after leaving however, guiding the Kansas City Chiefs to an AFC Championship appearance before ultimately retiring.

You, me and pretty much everyone else who has watched football may remember Montana as a 49er, but he’s not claiming that headed into a Super Bowl between his two former teams.

[jwplayer 8OErJ0oH]

They didn’t keep him forever so he’s not staying more loyal to them than the Chiefs.

I get being upset but I struggle to imagine Montana’s career going anywhere near as successfully if he hadn’t been paired with Bill Walsh.

But after all, Montana has always been a guy who knows how to make a buck or two. Him not slamming the Chiefs is wise but let’s not kid ourselves, you think of Joe Montana and professionally 10 people out of 10 think of the 49ers.

To me it’s kind of sad he doesn’t see it the same way after all he helped accomplish there.

Notre Dame Football: National and Super Bowl Champs

As we sit just days away from the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers strapping up to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, we’ll be having some sporatic fun here at Fighting Irish Wire in terms of former Notre Dame players and coaches who have had an impact on “The Big Game”.

Notre Dame has had a rich history not only in the NFL but in the NFL’s biggest game, the Super Bowl.

As we sit just days away from the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers strapping up to hoist the Lombardi Trophy, we’ll be having some sporatic fun here at Fighting Irish Wire in terms of former Notre Dame players and coaches who have had an impact on “The Big Game”.

Let’s start this by having a list in regards to Notre Dame trivia:

Are you aware that 10 players have won a national championship at Notre Dame and gone on to win a Super Bowl?

How many can you name?

It’s not an official Sporcle quiz, but perhaps it should be.

We’ll go in chronological order.  Feel free to pass along and share with your biggest Notre Dame/NFL Fan friends:

The first happened in Super Bowl IV, a Kansas City Chief

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Notre Dame All Decade Team – Wide Receivers

That the win propelled the Irish to the College Football Playoff was just an added bonus.

We continue our Notre Dame All-Decade team series with a group chock full of high performers during the Brian Kelly era: the wide receivers.  From a few Charlie Weis recruits that helped make a massive impact early on and plenty of middle round draft picks throughout the past ten years.  Let’s start with the close calls that just didn’t quite make it before getting to the reserves:

Missed the Cut

Equanimeous St. Brown, Davaris Daniels, Chris Brown

Backups

Miles Boykin (2016-2018)

Best Season: (2018) 59 catches, 872 yards, 8 touchdowns

Career: 77 catches, 1,206 yards, 11 touchdowns

Boykin didn’t put up the same career numbers of others on this list,  but from the time he introduced himself to the college football world with his miraculous go-ahead touchdown against LSU in the Citrus Bowl to the close of his career in the College Football Playoff, Boykin was a problem for opposing defenses.

His ability to high point the ball and snatch the ball away from defenders made him a valuable weapon in the red zone. He also came through in big moments in 2018, especially in the second half of games where the outcome hadn’t been decided. In a mid-season, five-game stretch that saw the Irish move their record to 9-0, Boykin delivered seven touchdowns in the second half of those contests (at least one in each) helping Notre Dame pull away or take the lead.

Chris Finke (2016-2019)

Best Season: (2018) 49 catches, 571 yards, 2 touchdowns

Career: 106 catches, 1,251 yards, 8 touchdowns

Finke’s story of a walk-on becoming a starter is a great one. But he wasn’t just a novelty. Although he didn’t contribute much during his first two seasons, Finke fit his role as slot receiver perfectly for his final two seasons. The rapport he developed with quarterback Ian Book meant that in tight situations, even on an offense with top producers like Miles Boykin and Chase Claypool, he was looking Finke’s way.

That he reserved the top two most important catches of his career for games against Michigan and USC, facing off against two hated rivals chock full of blue chip recruits, will forever bring a smile to my face. His “Moss-ing” of Michigan defensive back Matt Mitchell was as surprising as it was spectacular and it helped propel Notre Dame to a season-opening victory. Then he capped the season with his 24-yard go-ahead touchdown catch to invigorate a struggling Notre Dame offense. That the win propelled the Irish to the College Football Playoff was just an added bonus. His early struggles in 2019 were noticeable, but he finished off his career with at least five catches in four of the last five Notre Dame games – all wins.

T.J. Jones (2010-2013)

Best Season: (2013) 70 catches, 1,108 yards, 9 touchdowns

Career: 181 catches, 2,429 yards, 19 touchdowns

To call someone solid isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement. To say someone’s development remained steady throughout their entire career isn’t exciting.  But for as unremarkable a career TJ Jones seemed to have relative to the high points or career numbers of other Irish receivers, Jones was an underappreciated player for the Irish. I have heard him described as a slower Will Fuller with better hands and that makes a lot of sense.

Jones currently sits second in Notre Dame history in catches while he’s seventh in receiving yards and touchdowns. When the Irish offense centered around Theo Riddick and Tyler Eifert during the 2012 season, Jones was a reliable third option. And when both Riddick and Eifert left before the next season, Jones was there to pick up the slack catching 70 balls and going over 1,000 yards.

Next Up – The Starters:

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No Irish players selected in latest CBS Sports 1st round mock draft

There were no Notre Dame players selected in CBS Sports most recent NFL mock draft.

Yet another first round mock draft without a Fighting Irish player selected. This time it was CBS Sports Chris Trapasso guessing what teams will do in Las Vegas between Friday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 25th. In previous mock drafts TE Cole Kmet and DE Julian Okwara have seen their names projected into the first round, although not in the upper portion of it. Both players will be selected at some point in the draft, but at this moment it is unknown at what point they will be.

Although their Notre Dame careers are over, where former Irish players are drafted is still very important. It is a huge recruiting tool when schools are able to help their players make it to the next level, as the majority of collegiate players are trying to get paid to play. Since Kelly has taken over the Irish program in 2010, he has produced first round talent in 6 of the 10 drafts prior to this year’s selections. The hope is that Kmet and/or Okwara are picked in within the first 32 and is able to tout those facts to perspective Irish players.

I am a firm believer that if a player, like Kmet, declares early for a draft, they need to be selected in the first two rounds to justify leaving before their eligibility runs out. Kmet may go in the first round, as all you need is one team to fall in love, see Tim Tebow and Denver, but he will most likely see his named called in the second. Where do you see Kmet and Okwara landing in the NFL Draft?

Irish in the NFL: Jaylon Smith Now a Trojan…Spokesperson

thanks to the Super Bowl and a lot of the marketing that comes along with it annually, Jaylon Smith is now a member of the Trojan team.

What would have happened if instead of Notre Dame, that former Fighting Irish star Jaylon Smith would have gone to USC?

We will fortunately never know the answer to that question but thanks to the Super Bowl and a lot of the marketing that comes along with it annually, Jaylon Smith is now a member of the Trojan team.

The Trojan condom team.

Where do we start?  Lots of quality one-liners in here, solid writing and delivery.

I’ve worked in sports radio for sometime now and during Super Bowl week a small rush comes from seeing what off-the-wall product some big names are endorsing for a few days and hearing them sneak mentions into interviews can be a real treat.

Now pardon me as I now go and attempt to get Jaylon Smith on our show to discuss his Trojan use.

 

NFL Network Mock Draft Lists No Notre Damers

f Notre Dame is to go without a first round selection it would be the first time since the 2017 draft that were to occur.

Daniel Jeremiah is a former starting quarterback at Appalachian State and spent time working in the front offices of the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore since he graduated in 2000.

Jeremiah is now an analyst at NFL Network and spends a ton of time offering his thoughts on draft prospects once we transition from the collegiate season to the off-season.

Jeremiah released his latest mock draft last week and perhaps to the surprise of some, no Notre Dame players were listed.

A few notable things from this draft:

-Joe Burrow goes first.  That part isn’t a shock but he’s the first of five players form LSU that Jeremiah projects to go on opening night.  The Tigers are tied with Alabama for the most first round picks in this mock at five.

-Clemson checks in with three projected first round picks, two of which come from the defensive side of the ball and one that comes from the offense.

-Ohio State has a somewhat surprising total of just two first round picks here but it doesn’t feel that light by Ohio State standards when you realize the projected second and third picks are both Buckeyes.

-No tight ends go in round one, noteworthy obviously when discussing Cole Kmet who several have as a likely first rounder.

-Four Notre Dame opponents from the 2019 season are projected to go in the first round by Jeremiah.  Those include offensive tackle Mekhi Becton of Louisville (4 – Giants), offensive tackle Andrew Thomas (10 – Browns) and running back De’Andre Swift (18 – Dolphins) of Georgia and offensive tackle Austin Jackson of USC (26 – Dolphins).  

If Notre Dame is to go without a first round selection it would be the first time since the 2017 draft that were to occur.