Notre Dame and the 2022 NFL Draft

Discussion in 'Sports Board' started by George Krebs, Apr 30, 2022.

  1. George Krebs

    George Krebs Well-Known Member

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    Never saw this coming. Kyle Hamilton dropped to 14th in Round One due to a slow 40 time. Kyren Williams went 164th in the 5th round. And that's all I have to report unless I missed someone. And they are in Round 6.

    I wonder if any of these guys who left early wish that door swung both ways now.

    Meanwhile the UC Bearcats have had 8 players drafted.
     
  2. Tim Gentry

    Tim Gentry Well-Known Member

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    Williams should have stayed
     
  3. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    I'm not sure Williams staying would have had an impact, it's his size and that 4.6 40 time that he posted in the combine. Those don't change with coming back.

    I also don't think Hamilton could have improved his draft status, as George noted his 40 time is the problem.

    I do think Kevin Austin could have improved his standing if he had come back and had a good year. I'm sure he was poorly motivated not knowing how good Buchner would be getting him the ball given Buchner didn't play that much and was mostly running. Also he'd need to have a 100% healthy year.

    Jack Coan was never going to be drafted. I'll be a bit surprised if he even makes a practice squad. Good not great college QB with good but not great arm and limited mobility...what's not to like!
     
  4. Sid

    Sid Well-Known Member

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    Funny. I read the above posts, and while no one said Williams didn't get drafted, that's the impression I got. Then I learned that he was drafted in the 5th round by the Rams. Apparently the Rams paid attention to his yards after 1st hit and his incredible pass blocking. Good for the Rams. Good for KW.
     
  5. Sid

    Sid Well-Known Member

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  6. George Krebs

    George Krebs Well-Known Member

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    Williams has a chance but has a small margin for error. For what they will have to pay him him he's a good risk. Hamilton's career should be interesting. His size almost makes him a LB candidate where his 40 time would fall on the average scale. He has a good shot as a free safety like Harrison Smith. Jack Coan signed a tryout contract with Indianapolis, Tagliavosa with the Raiders.. I actually think Coan has a shot as an NFL backup if he can pass the test. Drew White and Kevin Austin went undrafted. Austin leaving early was a huge mistake on his part. The Irish should have a solid running game this year and he could have put up some big numbers in open space.

    The subliminal message here is that Notre Dame probably gets the most out of its available talent. Georgia, the defending champ, had 15 players drafted, more than twice drafted from Ohio State, Alabama or Clemson. Cincinnati proved they were no fluke with 9 players drafted. Underperformers LSU and Penn State had 10 and 8 drafted respectively.
     
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    Last edited: May 1, 2022
  7. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    A lot of people compare Kyren to the ND RB who played more than a few years for the Lions, Theo Riddick. I do think Kyren has a lot of intangibles that give him a shot at a career in the NFL.

    I think George's point about the NFL talent level at Notre Dame compared to the real elites is a good one. That is what Freeman has to turn around with his increased efforts in recruiting if we are to have a real shot at actually winning a Nat'l Title.
     
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  8. Sid

    Sid Well-Known Member

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    Speaking as a big fan of KW, I completely agree with George's "small margin for error" and "Notre Dame probably gets the most out of its available talent" comments. Re: Hamilton, I'm a believer that there are far more intangibles that contribute to a player's success on the field than a .2 difference in 40 time. I believe he has those intangibles and will be successful in the NFL and that teams who passed on him eventually will regret having done so. We'll see. Like I've said before, I've been wrong many more times than I've been right.
     
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  9. gipper

    gipper Well-Known Member

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    Hamilton's skill is not speed in running but in quickness to react and anticipate. What good is blazing speed if you don't know where to go? Seriously, if he reacts half a second faster it increases his "40 time" by a large margin. I believe that his top speed is also very fast which means he accelerates slower. As to Williams, I think he had an agent who misled him as to his draft future. He probably would have done more good than harm if he demonstrated his playing skill in the bowl game instead of sitting out like a future top pick.
     
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  10. Sid

    Sid Well-Known Member

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    I have no opinion one way or the other on Kevin Austin. I just saw this tweet from a "reliable source" that I thought I'd post here.
     
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  11. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    Certainly for Kevin Austin there is not a lot of tape. He played as a freshman but not a lot only 5 catches, then there was his soph year where he was unavailable for reasons they never gave us, but most assumed it was academics. Either way he didn't play, and his Jr season was injury plagued, so his Sr. year in 2022 was really his only tape and it's not like we had a dynamic passing attack and he had only 48 catches.

    He's a guy who might have benefited from a Grad transfer to a program where they had a proven returning quarterback, if he didn't stay at ND. Staying of course was a little risk in that nobody knows whether or not Tyler Buchner will be a good passer that would get him the ball and allow him to showcase his talent.
     
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  12. gipper

    gipper Well-Known Member

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    While Buchner is still a question mark, the scarcity of wide outs is a fact at ND. The opportunity to be a main target was excellent if he chose to stay. Then again there were those pesky academics...
     
  13. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    Well to his credit he did graduate from what I've read, but then again he certainly could be a kid who is glad to be done with school and not looking to extend it even one more year.

    Speaking of that, I wonder if Jack Coan even bothered to enroll for the 2nd semester. He didn't need to play in the bowl game. I've always wondered how many kids who are enrolled as grad students actually stay and complete their program and get a degree. Not just at ND.
     
  14. Don Ballard

    Don Ballard Well-Known Member

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    I am relative certain they a majority of the players fit into that category. :(
     
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  15. Terry O'Keefe

    Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

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    What is that they say, there are lies, damn lies and statistics? Well this tweet is interesting but it's not the whole truth. Georgia had 15 players taken in 7 rounds. Those 17 Texas players taken in 1984 went in 17 rounds only 10 players were selected in the 1st 7 rounds, those 16 Notre Dame players taken in 1946 were in a 20-round draft, only 7 of which were taken in the 1st 7 rounds.



    Story of the awesome 1983 Texas team that had so many players taken in the 1984 draft. Well it was sort of the nail in the coffin of the Fred Akers career at Texas, he's already lost a sure Nat'l Title to the Irish with a loaded Texas team featuring College and Pro Football HOF in Earl Campbell, but in the 1983 Cotton Bowl he had another undefeated team, a defensive powerhouse. They were ranked #2 to the #1 ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers. The game was a defensive struggle and we had the lead 9-3 late in the 4th qtr. The game seemed locked up as the UGA offense was nil in the game. Texas forced the punt and the infamous Craig Curry a reliable punt returned settled under the ball and muffed it and the Dawgs recovered it, they finally had one play that worked and their QB scored on a run and they won 10-9. The next day Miami stunned Nebraska. Texas guy holds on to the punt and once beaten Miami doesn't win their 1st National Championship, Texas no doubt would have moved to #1 and Fred Akers would have gotten redemption for the pasting that the Irish and Joe Montana put on his best team.

    Oh and the best player on that team and the #6 over all pick by the Packers? Mossy Cade whose most notable headline was his sexual assault of his Aunt after his 1st start as a Packer.
     
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  16. George Krebs

    George Krebs Well-Known Member

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    The Irish have hit a hard ceiling in their progression on the national stage. A generation has passed since the last NC. The drafts highlight the problem; the correlation between top talent and top results is undeniable. We have another chance to break through the ceiling on September 3 against very long odds but isn't that exactly what the Fighting Irish lore based on?
     
  17. Sid

    Sid Well-Known Member

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    Terry, that's outstanding research! Way to go. O'Keefe Sports trumps Elias. :cool:
     
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  18. WSU1996kesley

    WSU1996kesley Well-Known Member

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    George, I still don't understand how THIS has not yet been addressed considering everything that is now possible. Funny thing is, this is the one part of the whole discussion I thought made the most sense to change if everything was actually intended to benefit the "student" athlete.