Notre Dame stars like Love and Price headline a draft class aiming to extend the program's unparalleled NFL talent pipeline and prove recruiting dominance.
The 2026 NFL Draft is finally here. Starting tonight, there's hundreds of former collegiate standouts that hope to hear their names called throughout the seven rounds of the ensuing draft. There's several Notre Dame players in the mix, and one in particular in star running back Jeremiyah Love who we know without a doubt will go in the first round. We've talked a lot about the draft and where we believe the Fighting Irish alum will go or should go.
Love, and fellow running back Jadarian Price, could potentially be the first running back duo since Felix Jones and Darren McFadden to be take in the first round since 2008. Receiver Malachi Fields could be the first Notre Dame receiver taken in the second round since the 2020 draft when Chase Claypool was taken. Offensive lineman Billy Schrauth and Aamil Wagner can maintain Notre Dame's 'O-Line U' title and tight end Eli Raridon will likely keep the streak alive of starting Notre Dame tight ends getting drafted.
But there's a much bigger picture at stake here during this draft. The Notre Dame program under head coach Marcus Freeman has become a national recruiting power. They just brought in the No. 1 recruiting class in the country according to On3 and look to repeat a similar level of success in the 2027 cycle. Putting upwards of five to six players in the draft this year would be a another huge step in the right direction.
The negative recruiting tactics against Notre Dame are starting to take shape, with one of those being their track record, or lack thereof, of putting players into the league. Unfortunately for those who are willing to die on that hill, there's one program that sits atop of college football in producing NFL draft picks, and that's Notre Dame.
Last season, the Irish had six players taken in the 2025 draft which added to their grand total of 538 players taken which is five more than rival USC in second place and 35 more than the Ohio State Buckeyes who sit in third place. Notre Dame is also the 4th program all-time with 71 first round selections and that number will also increase after this year's draft.
The Irish have had at least one player drafted every year since 1978 and that streak will also continue after this weekend. The last time Notre Dame only had one player taken in a single draft was 2015 when tight end Ben Koyack was taken in the 7th round by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Irish have had at least two players taken in every round since including 13 players over the last two seasons.
The level of talent and the depth of talent in South Bend is something that I haven't seen in quite some time. There's a chance that over the last three NFL Drafts, the Irish will lose 18 to 20 players, but return the No. 1 roster in college football ahead of the 2026 season. They're one of the offseason favorites to win the national title, have a returning preseason Heisman contender at quarterback and have the best odds to make the College Football Playoffs.
Freeman has this program firing on all cylinders with no signs of slowing down. They're starting to stack recruiting classes, developing talent across the board and have been in the national title discussion for the past couple of seasons. The NFL Draft is the cherry on top, and I expect this to be another fun and productive draft for Notre Dame alum and it all starts tonight.
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