Tag: Tommy Kraemer

49ers bolster secondary, offensive line in 3-round mock draft

The 49ers selected South Carolina CB Israel Mukuamu and Notre Dame OL Tommy Kraemer with their 2 picks in a Draft Wire 3-round mock.

The 2021 NFL draft could be among the most fascinating in league history. With no guarantee of a college football season and some players beginning to opt out, NFL teams could end up flying relatively blind with prospects going into the draft. That’s an especially tough scenario for the 49ers, who’ll rely heavily on draft picks to help replace some of the players they’ll lose in an offseason where salary cap space is at a premium.

The Draft Wire put together a three-round mock draft ahead of training camp where San Francisco uses their only two picks in the first three rounds to shore up their secondary and their offensive front.

Here’s what happened with each of their selections:

Round 1, Pick 30: Israel Mukuamu | CB | South Carolina

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Mukuamu is part of a very good cornerback tandem for the Gamecocks alongside Jaycee Horn. The physical traits with Mukuamu make him a prime candidate for San Francisco’s zone-heavy scheme. He’s listed at 6-4, 205 pounds. That size may make it difficult for him to play straight man coverage against NFL receivers, but he still moves well enough to be an effective pro. In two seasons at South Carolina Mukuamu has five interceptions, 10 pass breakups and four tackles for loss. Given his size and cornerback skill set there’s a chance the 49ers may covet him as a strong safety if they lose Jaquiski Tartt in free agency.

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Is the Notre Dame Offensive Line the best group in the country?

Five returning starters give the Irish a very formidable group, but just how good are they when compared to other top groups?

A long history of putting offensive linemen into the NFL has obviously gotten the notice of plenty of national pundits. Mike Farrell, the Recruiting Director over at Rivals, has ranked the best group of five offensive linemen in the country and the Irish came out on top of the list.

It’s not just one elite player on the line that Farrell likes its everyone “from Liam Eichenberg to Aaron Banks to Robert Hainsey, the front is loaded with talent and should pave the way for a strong running game and a dangerous offense under Ian Book.” The Irish will depend on the offensive line to pave holes for a very green running backs unit. They will also have to give Book enough time to find his also green wide receivers.

It is a very good luxury to have all five returning starters, with the aforementioned three along with Tommy Kraemer and Jarrett Patterson, to help ease the offense this coming season. Having a line that has been through the trials of a season together will surely help as Book finds go to targets and who will be the lead running back. You can add in Josh Lugg into the mix as well in case an injury occurs. Winning the battle on the trenches is often a good sign for great teams, and if the Irish offensive line plays up to expectations, you can expect very good results.

Lindy’s Names Notre Dame’s Offensive Line Best in Country

As college football presumably creeps closer to a new season, it’s time for the outside experts to rank everything possible.

As college football presumably creeps closer to a new season, it’s time for the outside experts to rank everything possible. That includes the best units at every position. In the opinion of at least one publication, Notre Dame is the best in one area.

In its annual preview issue, Lindy’s has ranked Notre Dame as having the best offensive line. Bryan Driskell of Irish Illustrated has highlighted the paragraph indicating this honor. The paragraph mentions the five returning starters for the Irish’s unit, four of which are pro prospects: Robert Hainsey, Liam Eichenberg, Tommy Kraemer, Aaron Banks and Jarrett Patterson. Special mention is given to backup Josh Lugg.

Eichenberg already has been named a preseason second team All-American. With him and a few others ranked among the best in the country at their respective positions, it won’t be shocking if a few more media outlets follow suit in high praise for the O-line. Regardless, if this unit is as good as advertised, Ian Book’s going to have an easy final season in South Bend.

247Sports: A Super Team would Consist of an Notre Dame Positional Group

An Irish positional group is included as part of a super-team of units across the country.

This should not come as much of a surprise to anyone, especially from the school that hold’s the mantle of Offensive Line U, that Notre Dame’s group of 5 road graders would be named among the best in the nation. As 247Sports continues their preview of the upcoming season, Chris Hummer chose the Irish offensive line as his group when building a super team.

The talented group of linemen all return boasted by some impressive stats they as a group accumulated last season. Pro Football Focus was very high on “all five Irish starters return off a unit that ranked 13th nationally, per PFF College. Notre Dame was particularly good as a pass-blocking group, ranking second nationally in PFF’s grading system.” Those numbers equal a very formidable group heading into this season.

Of the five returning starting offensive linemen just one, guard Tommy Kraemer, didn’t make PFF’s top 30 returning offensive linemen. The rest of the group, tackles Liam Eichenberg and Robert Hainsey, guard Aaron Banks and center Jarrett Patterson combine to make the best group in the country.

There was some negative about the group however, as they we not particularly great as a run-blocking unit. Hummer noted that “Notre Dame finished a respectable 28th nationally in yard per carry last season. But that’s a little misleading. The o-line finished just 62nd nationally in line yards per carry – a Football Outsiders stats that gives the line credit on a percentage basis depending on the length of the run – indicating much of the Irish’s rushing success was due to running backs creating chunk runs instead of the line consistently creating holes.” If that is the one issues with the unit, then the Irish are in great shape. Run-blocking can be seen as a mentality, one that former Irish star Quenton Nelson has plenty of. If this current line can get that nasty streak going, there is no doubt in my mind they can fix their perceived run-blocking issues and be the best group in the country.

Irish Overrated? CBS Gives Thoughts on Notre Dame’s ’20 Season Outlook

In a season series preview, CBS Sports looks at what is in store for the Irish this season.

The fact that Brian Kelly seems to falter against top teams is fair, since 2010 he has led the Irish to a 21-20 record in Top 25 matchups. So, Ben Kercheval’s assessment of that portion of the program is accurate, but that is in the past, this is about what is in store for the Irish in 2020.

There were multiple high-level players who left the Notre Dame program since it’s win over Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl just a few months ago. Kercheval feels like the biggest losses include TE Cole Kmet, WR Chase Claypool, RB Tony Jones Jr. and DE Julian Okwara. Each of them have brought their talents to the NFL.

What’s interesting is the fact that Kercheval mentions the firing of Offensive Coordinator Chip Long as a loss. Long was replaced by Tommy Rees prior to the bowl win, was seen as a excellent recruiter, but Kelly couldn’t mesh well with his play calling, especially in the aforementioned top matchups. While the offense under Rees was fantastic in Irish wins, averaging 38 points, the fact that Long couldn’t get more, 13.5 points per game, in losses irked Kelly and let to a change. The jury is still out on Rees, this season will be a big test for the first full year as offensive coordinator for the former Irish QB.

We all know about the returning Notre Dame stars, Kercheval sees QB Ian Book, OT Tommy Kraemer and WR Braden Lenzy as the offenses top returning playmakers. Pretty interesting that the other starting tackle, Liam Eichenberg isn’t mentioned, but Lenzy to me is the key. The leading returning receiver had just 11 catches last year, a number that will surely see a rise this coming season. The rising junior needs to break out for the Irish offense.

Defensively CB TaRiq Bracy and DE Daelin Hayes will be the key assets according to Kercheval. I think he didn’t pick the right players as Notre Dame’s key returning defenders. Safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah would have been my choices. It’s not a knock on Bracy and Hayes, they’re great players in their own right, I just believe that Hamilton and Owusu-Koramoah will have larger impacts.

Rees was named a fresh face, along with Northwestern WR transfer Bennett Skowronek and incoming freshman RB Chris Tyree. Spot on with Tyree, as the newest face to the Irish running back room might be needed to contribute immediately. Skowronek was a captain for the Wildcats last year, bring leadership to a position group that will need it. There are plenty of others that could have ended up in these spots include transfers safety Isaiah Pryor and CB Nick McCloud or freshman TE Michael Mayer. Each of them could play big roles for the Irish in ’20.

Kercheval sees the floor as 9 wins for the Irish, otherwise disappointment will reign in South Bend. A favorable schedule should result in double digits wins, so Kelly’s streak of 3 straight 10-plus win seasons should extent to a 4th once the season is played.

Notre Dame’s Playmaker? A Group of Five

It isn’t just one Irish player that is considered a playmaker by CBS Sports, it’s a group.

It seems as if every day the hope for a season gets larger and larger. With than many people are getting excited about what could be and it was CBS Sports Barrett Sallee that looked ahead to which players are the best playmakers at their positions.

It wasn’t just one Notre Dame player to make Sallee list, it was the offensive line as a unit. Although the big men up front aren’t normally seen as playermakers “they’re play facilitators. With that said, let’s give this award to a Notre Dame unit that is loaded with returning talent.” That loaded talent is led by Liam Eichenberg who is seen as a potential first round draft pick.

What was interesting is that Sallee mentioned the goal for every top program in the nation, getting into the Playoff’s. He believes that “if they’re (Notre Dame) going to get back to the College Football Playoff, it’ll be up to the big guys up front to get the job done.” Sallee isn’t wrong, as the Irish do return senior QB Ian Book but have to replace every skill position starter from last year. Leaning on the veteran line early should help Book find his go-to guys this coming season.

The health of the line shouldn’t be understated, as tackle Robert Hainsey and guards Tommy Kraemer and Aaron Banks each suffered an injury at some point in the last year. Keeping the group injury-free will be a key for the Notre Dame offense. If the quintet is healthy, expect phenomenal play from Jeff Quinn’s group and the possibility of getting back to the playoffs for the second time in the Brian Kelly era.

It seems as if every day the hope for a season gets larger and larger. With than many people are getting excited about what could be and it was CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee that looked ahead to which players are the best playmakers at their positions.

It wasn’t just one Notre Dame player to make Sallee list, it was the offensive line as a unit. Although the big men up front aren’t normally seen as playermakers “they’re play facilitators. With that said, let’s give this award to a Notre Dame unit that is loaded with returning talent.” That loaded talent is led by Liam Eichenberg who is seen as a potential first round draft pick.

What was interesting is that Sallee mentioned the goal for every top program in the nation, getting into the Playoff’s. He believes that “if they’re (Notre Dame) going to get back to the College Football Playoff, it’ll be up to the big guys up front to get the job done.” Sallee isn’t wrong, as the Irish do return senior QB Ian Book but have to replace every skill position starter from last year. Leaning on the veteran line early should help Book find his go-to guys this coming season.

The health of the line shouldn’t be understated, as tackle Robert Hainsey and guards Tommy Kraemer and Aaron Banks each suffered an injury at some point in the last year. Keeping the group injury-free will be a key for the Notre Dame offense. There’s a reason Notre Dame got the moniker of O-Line U, groups like this. If the quintet is healthy, expect phenomenal play from Jeff Quinn’s group and the possibility of getting back to the playoffs for the second time in the Brian Kelly era.

Notre Dame Football Lands Two on 2021 CBS Big Board

CBS released their top 100 big board for the 2021 NFL Draft and on it you find two Notre Dame offensive linemen but nobody else from ND.

The NFL Draft came and went almost two weeks ago now and for those make their livings off the draft, evaluations for the 2021 version have already begun.  We’ll have a bit on that in the coming days no doubt I wanted to share with you the big board that CBS has put together.

Two Notre Dame players make the top 100 and it’s not a surprise to see either as offensive tackle Liam Eichenberg checks in at 38 and right guard Tommy Kraemer is rated 55.

Both are near elite in pass protection but not near the road-graders that we’ve seen in the run game compared to a few NFL stars that have played for Notre Dame in recent years.

For anyone who watched last year you saw an offensive line that struggled against the better opponents in run blocking, specifically Georgia and Michigan.

I’m again surprised that outside linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah isn’t on this list.  If you’re doing a mock of the first round or two, fine, I get it.  To not be included in the top 100 overall, though?

I know a players draft forecast isn’t solely based on production but in one year he was responsible for 13.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.  Sure, the pass rush game won’t offer as much help to him this year but it will also provide what should be a better chance to shine, too.

Can Eichenberg and Kraemer grow where their ability in the run game nears their ability in the pass game?  And can I buy draft stock in JOK right now?  I really want to invest in it because this is yet another draft production that is undervaluing a star level talent.

2 Notre Dame players selected in Draft Wire’s 2020 NFL mock draft

Notre Dame stars Tommy Kraemer and Julian Okwara were both mocked within the first three rounds of Draft Wire’s latest 2020 NFL mock draft.

USA TODAY’s Draft Wire put together a three-round mock draft during Week 15 of the NFL season, and two Notre Dame players were projected to get selected.

First up was right guard Tommy Kraemer, who was mocked in the late second round (no. 63 overall) to the Baltimore Ravens.

Kraemer sprained his MCL and has not played in the final five games of the 2019 season. As of now, it is unclear if he will play in the Camping World Bowl. It’s also unclear if he will even declare for the NFL Draft, or if he will stay for a fifth season in South Bend.

If he does decide to go the professional route, landing in Baltimore with a chance to protect future MVP Lamar Jackson would certainly be desirable.

Next up is Julian Okwara, another injured Irish player who has played his final game of the season after suffering a broken fibula.

Okwara has seen his name pop up in the first round of a lot of draft boards, but this one has him all the way down in the third round, falling to the Kansas City Chiefs at no. 90 overall.

Okwara has all the potential in the world to be an elite pass rusher off the edge, and how he recovers from this injury will have a lot to do with his draft stock, and potential future earnings, in the NFL.

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Must-Watch: Ruhland on Injured Line-Mates

Imagine being in your last year of eligibility and not getting to play the game you love, or at least not getting playing time because your buddies have beaten you out for the job.

Imagine being in your last year of eligibility and not getting to play the game you love, or at least not getting playing time because your buddies have beaten you out for the job.

Then suddenly a couple of your buddies get hurt and you’re called upon to fill in as they’re done for the season.

Are you happy for the opportunity or sad for your friends being hurt?

It’s easy to think in hypotheticals but what if you’re actually living that very situation?

That is indeed the case for Trevor Ruhland, a fifth-year, enjoying his final few weeks in the blue and gold. Now how does the Notre Dame veteran offensive lineman feel about getting playing time because of injuries to his teammates?

As former NFL executive Phil Emery used to call it – “great teammateship” was shown here by the Cary, Illinois product.