Draft the Irish

Playing college football does not guarantee that you will be drafted into the NFL but it can help.  This year, ESPN has 12 Notre Dame prospects listed on their draft tracker.  Of course, the majority of the hundreds of players listed on ESPN’s draft tracker won’t get drafted; most won’t even make it to a training camp.  Below are the Irish players listed with the grade given to them by ESPN, along with a grade I gave them (grade scale at the bottom of the article), with my take on each player.

Robert Blanton: Talking Irish Grade 49 / ESPN Grade 65 - I like Blanton and am sure he will end up in an NFL camp.  He should make a team this fall, although he may have to work his way up from the practice team.  ESPN has him graded higher and I hope he does better than I am projecting.

Taylor Dever: Talking Irish Grade 34 / ESPN Grade 30 - I like his effort and size, but the draft is most likely out of the question.  His best shot his the free agent rout and to prove himself with his heart.

Darius Fleming: Talking Irish Grade 50 / ESPN Grade 51 - Fleming has a really good shot of being drafted in a later round and make an NFL team this summer.  Darius rushes the passer at a very high level and could be useful to a defense looking to improve quarterback pressure.

Michael Floyd: Talking Irish Grade 91 / ESPN Grade 93 - No doubt, Floyd is a first round pick.  I have seen him projected as high as 8 with the Miami Dolphins but Buffalo at 10 may be more accurate.  We know he is talented and still has room to grow.  Floyd should play right away and could be an impact player with the right team, system and coaches.  Long term, he has to keep his head on straight.

Gary Gray: Talking Irish Grade 15 / ESPN Grade 30 - Gray was a good college player. I just don’t know if he can play at that same level in the NFL.  I hope he proves me wrong.

Jonas Gray: Talking Irish Grade 49 / ESPN Grade 51 - If Jonas got it in gear earlier in his career, these grades would have been higher.  Of course, his injury status may also make some teams gun shy.  He might be a little bit of a gamble, but he could be a big payoff.

Ethan Johnson: Talking Irish Grade 21 / ESPN Grade 30 - Ethan Johnson may not have been as great as people had hoped for in his four years in South Bend, and Ethan has said he is going to take a year to work out and apply for the draft next year.

Mike Ragone: Talking Irish Grade 11 / ESPN Grade 30 - Since he is currently enrolled at Kansas and has been given a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA, I am sure we will not hear his name called.  I have never been a fan of Mr. Ragone and don’t see him playing in the NFL unless he has a great 2012 season thanks to Dayne Crist.

Nathan Robinson: Talking Irish Grade NA / ESPN Grade 20 – Since I had no idea who this is I decided to contact ESPN for more information.  I was told that he must be part of the Notre Dame program and or participated in there pro day.  I contacted Notre Dame’s Athletic Media Relations Department leaving a message explaining my inquiry.  Brian Hardin who is the Director of Football Media Relations called me back and was as confused as I was.  He stated he checked the ESPN website and does not know who Nathan Robinson is.

Trevor Robinson: Talking Irish Grade 20 / ESPN Grade 30 - Although Robinson was not invited to the NFL Combine, I can see him being successful taking the free agent route.

David Ruffer: Talking Irish Grade 21 / ESPN Score 30 - Ruffer hit 23 consecutive field goals in 2010, which could be attractive to NFL teams.  The fact he was not as successful in 2011 will probably push him to the end of the draft or free agent market.

Harrison Smith: Talking Irish Grade 65 / ESPN 89 - If Smith had 2010 numbers in 2011 my grade would be higher.   I have heard his name mentioned as high as a late first rounder.  I like Smith’s effort, leadership and determination; I just don’t see an NFL star. 

*Special thanks to Brian Hardin in the Notre Dame Athletic Media Relations Department.

Grading Scale

• 90-100 Rare Prospect
  Player demonstrates rare abilities and can create mismatches that have an obvious impact on the game. Is a premier college player that has all the skill to take over a game and play at a championship level. He rates in the top 5 players in the nation at his position and is considered a first round draft prospect.
• 80-89 Outstanding Prospect
  Player has abilities to create mismatches versus most opponents in the NFL. A feature player that has an impact on the outcome of the game. Cannot be shut down by a single player and plays on a consistent level week in and week out. He rates in the top 10 at his position and is considered a second round draft prospect.
• 70-79 Solid Prospect
  Still a standout player at the college level that is close to being an elite player. He has no glaring weaknesses and will usually win his individual matchups, but does not dominate in every game, especially when matched up against the top players in the country. He will usually rate in the top third of players at his position and is considered a third round draft prospect.
• 60-69 Good Prospect
  This player is an good starter that will give a solid effort week in and week out, but he is overmatched versus the better players in the nation. His weaknesses will be exposed against top competition. He is usually a prospect that is missing something from his game. For example, he has the size and skills to be an outstanding prospect, but lacks the speed. He will usually rate in the top half of the players at his position and is considered a middle round draft choice.
• 50-59 Adequate Prospect
  These are usually players that play at a high level in college, but lack some measurables or skills to play at that same level in the NFL. He may be a player that has a lot of developmental qualities, or could be a player that will contribute right away on special teams or in a situational capacity. He will usually rate in the second-third at his position and is considered a fifth round draft choice.
• 21-49 Borderline Draft Prospect
  These are players that teams like something about, but certainly do not have the full package in terms of NFL talent. A lot of times, teams will take chances on character players or developmental type athletes with this grade. And often, these are players that come from smaller schools or did not standout at the college level. NFL teams are looking for 'diamonds in the rough' with this type of prospect. He will usually rate in the bottom third of players at his position and will be considered a late round draft choice or un-drafted free agent.
• 20 Free Agent Prospect
  These are players that did not make our original 'evaluation list' but are prospects that need to be monitored. Especially in the pre-season, these players will fluctuate up and down depending on performance in their final year of eligibility.
• 10 Not a legitimate Prospect
  These are players that lack NFL measurables and/or skills. They are players that we feel would not even make a solid contribution as a training camp body.

Blue and Gold at a glance

No major injuries, check. Positive plays, check. Negative plays, check. No starting positions overwhelmingly decided, check.  Overall, a successful finish to the spring practice season.  Obviously, if one aspect during the scrimmage yields positive results, there must be an equally negative result on the other end, right?  For the most part, that is correct, but we can come away with some overall positives for individual players.  It was a beautiful sunny day for football in South Bend, helping give on campus recruits a perfect picture of how gorgeous Notre Dame truly is, which turned into one class of 2013 commitment.

The first half had a better feel of game play and pace, as the clock stopped as it would during a regular contest, whereas the second half was running time.  Making the quarterbacks live definitely helped the coaches evaluate them in as realistic game situations as possible.

At quarterback, the first half showcased Rees, Hendrix and Golson.  Nobody expected any of the quarterbacks to play themselves into a starting job during this game and that held true as the afternoon progressed.  I would say the incumbent Tommy Rees may have played his way out of the starting position with his play on Saturday afternoon. 

In the “they played as well and impressively as they were and are supposed to category - Theo Riddick, Cierre Wood and Tyler Eifert.  Of course, much of that was due in part to a unit that also fits into the same category - the offensive line.”  On the defensive side of the ball, Louis Nix III was impressive at the nose tackle position, making plays while being double teamed.

 Golson continues to look like a great, physically talented football player with the word potential attached to him, but also continues to struggle with learning and managing the game at the college level.

Ishaq Williams showcased his off-season development, looking as if he is ready to make an impact this season on defense for the Irish, both against the run and the pass.

Sheldon Day showed that he can play with the big boys right off the bat.  As much as I like redshirting young talent and not burning a year of eligibility unless you need to (and I am not sure the Irish need to with Day), I think he could be a valuable contributor to the Notre Dame defense in 2012 as a true freshman.

Cam McDaniel, who converted from running back to defensive back, looked really good for a kid playing in a new position. He seemed to have a nose for the ball and gets after it.  He does need to learn more technique but there is some diamond in the rough type potential there.  Of course, if Brian Kelly didn’t burn a year of his eligibility on a small handful of plays last year, the Irish could develop his talent for further down the line.

George Atkinson looked like he is on his way to being a decent backup for Wood at running back.  We knew he had speed and quickness based on his returns last year, and it showed in the backfield on Saturday.  He does have work to do to be sure, especially with holding onto the ball.

For a kid who should be getting ready for his senior ball, Gunner Kiel showed that he could take the field and not get himself killed or totally embarrassed.

Oh yeah, the commitment.  Another massive offensive lineman joined a stacked class; 6’5” 298 lb. John Montelus made is verbal commitment during the weekend.