Tag: notre dame nfl players

Former Notre Dame star Khalid Kareem signs his rookie deal

Khalid Kareem fell in the draft because of a shoulder injury but was able to sign his rookie deal on Thursday. How much did he get?

Khalid Kareem was a big reason for Notre Dame’s strong ability to get after opposing quarterbacks the last two seasons and looks to help the Cincinnati Bengals improve their defense this season.

The fifth round pick of the Bengals from the 2020 NFL Draft agreed to terms with the team Thursday and is set for training camp to open.  The four year deal is estimated to be worth roughly $2.6 million.

Kareem suffered a shoulder injury last season that kept him out of Senior Bowl activities and didn’t allow him to workout at the combine which is seemingly the main reason he fell to the fifth round.

Kareem recorded 88 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and ten sacks over the last two seasons at Notre Dame while forcing four fumbles and returning a fumble recovery for a touchdown last season.

Notre Dame Pair Featured in USA TODAY Mock Draft

The other Golden Domer that Middlehurst-Schwartz had going in round one would be headed to one of the few franchises still playing football this January.

As college football has concluded for 2019 and the NFL has just three more games of consequence we slowly start to turn to the annual blending of the two, the NFL Draft.

Next weekend will be the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama and coaches and scouts will get a chance to see the stars of tomorrow up close for a week.

With that in mind it is officially Mock Draft Season.

Perhaps the excitement in the air isn’t quite as rich as when the holidays hit in December but for football fans and followers it’s an interesting time to watch stocks rise and fall NFL bound players.

With that in mind the USA TODAY released their latest NFL Mock Draft on Thursday and a pair of key 2019 Notre Dame players made their way to the first round.

Here is who Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz has going and where he has them headed in April’s draft:

23. Patriots — Cole Kmet, TE, Notre Dame: While New England’s future with Tom Brady remains unclear, perhaps it’s time for Bill Belichick and Co. to focus on a different glaring issue. As the draft’s top talent at tight end, Kmet might help fill the Rob Gronkowski-sized hole in this offense.

Ah, the natural fit. If you’re a tight end you want to go to Notre Dame because they turn out more talent than anyone else at the position. Meanwhile if you’re in the NFL it’s hard to find many places better to play than New England where so much of their offensive success over the last two decades has been built on great tight ends. This would be a dream scenario for Kmet.

The other Golden Domer that Middlehurst-Schwartz had going in round one would be headed to one of the few franchises still playing football this January.

29. Titans — Julian Okwara, DE/OLB, Notre Dame: Mike Vrabel has thrown an assortment of players into the pass-rushing mix, yet none have proven consistent threats. Tennessee can ramp up its efforts on this front by grabbing Okwara, who’s still learning the finer points of his position but has a tantalizing athletic profile.

Will Okwara end being a first round pick? It depends you ask, read or follow as he is seemingly very much on the bubble there. After what they’ve done the last two weekends and really since the middle of the regular season Okwara would be walking into a place to likely to compete for something big again.