51 days till Patriots season opener: Every player to wear No. 51 for New England

Here’s a list of every Patriots player to wear the No. 51 jersey number

The New England Patriots are officially 51 days away from their regular season opener, which means we’re continuing out countdown series by listing every player that has ever worn the No. 51 throughout franchise history.

Third-year linebacker Ronnie Perkins currently wears the number that has been draped across the jerseys of 24 total Patriots players in the past. Former All-Pro linebacker and current Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo was one of those players.

The former first-round draft pick stepped in as one of the new-age players to take over roles previously held by defensive legends like Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel. He helped kick-start the second half of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl victories in a 17-year span.

Here’s every Patriots player that has ever worn the No. 51 (via Pro Football Reference):

Pair of Notre Dame Greats Among College Football HOF Finalists

Notre Dame has the most players enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame and may be getting a pair more this year. Find out more here!

No school has more College Football Hall of Famers than Notre Dame with 44.

USC checks in second with 30, Michigan third with 25 and Ohio State has seen 23 enshrined.

Now Notre Dame has a chance to add a couple more names to that list as two former Irish greats are among the 2020 College Football Hall of Fame finalists that were announced on Tuesday.

Bob Golic starred at linebacker for the Irish from 1975-78 and to this day has the second most tackles in Notre Dame football history with 479.  His 26 tackles against Michigan in 1978 remain the most ever by an Irish player in a single game.  Golic helped Notre Dame to a national championship in 1977 and returned to become a unanimous First-Team All-American and Lombardi Award finalist in 1978.  Golic played for the Patriots, Browns and Oilers during his NFL career that spanned from 1979-1992, earning three Pro Bowl appearances along the way.

Legendary Notre Dame offensive lineman Aaron Taylor is the other finalist.  Taylor was the best member of a road-grading offensive line on the ’92 and ’93 teams, earning All-American honors both seasons and winning the Lombardi Award in ’93.  He helped guide Notre Dame to four straight bowl games and nearly capped his college career with a 1993 national championship before being selected in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers.

Raghib “Rocket” Ismail is the most recent Notre Dame player to earn selection into the College Football Hall of Fame, doing so in the 2019 class.

For the criteria for Hall of Fame consideration, click ahead…