Every year there are different episodes of the hype and discussion leading up to the NFL Draft. The two that eventually become the most important (although not always the most insightful) are the pre-combine predictions and the post-combine/free agent predictions. For some Notre Dame players this season there is quite a difference.
Although wide receiver Malachi Fields had a phenomenal Senior Bowl that propelled him up in mock drafts toward the first round, his 40th time at the combine did some damage. While he can still help himself at the Notre Dame Pro Day, Fields likely won’t be one of the players selected in the first round just yet.
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But there are two Irish players who are still very much in contention.
The first is the most obvious; Running back Jeremiyah Love. He may very well be the best player in the draft and he is definitely the best running back. He had been slotted several times in the top 10 before the combine and free agent signings, but after several teams made some moves to solidify their running back space, Love is now projected to be taken by the Tennessee Titans with the fourth overall pick of Daniel Jeremiah.
Daniel Jeremiah also has Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price selected in the first round. Price is expected to be chosen by the Seattle Seahawks, who just saw the departure of Kenneth Walker to the Kansas City Chiefs (which affects Jeremiyah Love slightly, but it seemed increasingly unlikely that he would have fallen to the Chiefs).
Notre Dame hasn’t been known as a big producer of first-round running back talent, so if two players are selected, it would be a phenomenal turn of events. Regardless of where they go, both players will likely be ready to contribute heavily as rookies.