Notre Dame has one of the most talented rosters in college football. At least that’s what The Athletic NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler believes.
Last Tuesday, Brugler was asked in his NFL Draft mailbag how many players have draftable grades on this year’s Notre Dame team. He named 11 guys, beginning with an eye-popping assessment of Leonard Moore.
“The Irish secondary might be the best in all of college football,” Brugler said. “Leonard Moore should finish with one of the highest grades I’ve ever given a cornerback — he is a slam-dunk top-10 pick. Tae Johnson looks like an early-round safety, and defensive backs DJ McKinney, Christian Gray and Luke Talich are also NFL-level players.
“Among the Irish seniors, wide receiver Jordan Faison and linebackers Drayk Bowen and Jaylen Sneed have preliminary draftable grades from NFL teams. I haven’t scouted all of Notre Dame’s underclassmen yet, but QB CJ Carr will be a draft pick whenever he jumps to the NFL. Edge rushers Boubacar Traore and Bryce Young have the talent to announce themselves as top-50 prospects this season. And junior linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is an exciting player who should only continue to rise throughout the process.”
Though it is uncertain whether every player Brugler mentioned declares for the 2027 NFL Draft, if they did and were selected, it would mark a major milestone for Marcus Freeman’s program. The last time the Irish had 11 players selected in one draft was in 1969 when there were 17 rounds and 16 NFL teams.
Last year, Ohio State had 11 players selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Notre Dame will look to challenge that mark next year while also winning a national championship the same way the Buckeyes did.
Notre Dame Posts of the Weekend
Notre Dame scored 70 touchdowns in 2025. That’s the second most in program history behind 76 in 2024.
ND’s 2025 total ranked 5th nationally and 1st among teams that only played 12 games. Florida State was 2nd among teams that played 12 games with 51.https://t.co/GE2cPBAoTM pic.twitter.com/tE6KuLt7as
— Tyler Horka (@tbhorka) June 29, 2026
Notre Dame Quote of the Weekend
“I had him a four-star, too, but I should have rated him as a five-star. He checked all the boxes — he was a good basketball player, who moved well. He was really good on defense, and he was all-state as an offensive tackle. I actually projected him as a guard in college, which is where he played in the pros.
“But he had that burning desire to be great and put the work into being great. And that’s where I’m kicking myself for not bumping him up to a five-star.”
— Longtime recruiting analyst Tom Lemming to Blue & Gold senior writer Eric Hansen on his evaluation of Notre Dame guard Zack Martin as a recruit.
Notre Dame Headlines of the Weekend
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