Future NFL stars showcase skills and eye-popping numbers at Notre Dame's Pro Day, aiming to elevate their draft stock.
We're a month away from the 2026 NFL Draft where numerous former collegiate hopefuls wait to see if their name gets called in the first seven rounds of the NFL Draft. There will be several Notre Dame players who will likely be drafted, but tomorrow afternoon is their final opportunity to raise their draft stock and make an impression on the several NFL scouts and coaches that will be in attendance at their Pro Day.
Familiar Faces
There will be several faces that we'll see participate in the Pro Day that we saw in action down in Indianapolis at the NFL combine earlier this offseason. Wide receiver Malachi Fields has a lot of opportunity in front of him to raise his draft stock. This biggest knock of Fields after the combine, whether you agree or disagree with the rationale, was his official 4.61 40-yard dash time. The film and his career-long production speak for themselves. But a better 40-yard dash time from the Virginia native might vault him up higher on various draft boards.
Tight end Eli Raridon will also be participating in Notre Dame's Pro Day and will look to increase some of his testing numbers after running an official 4.62 40-yard dash and putting up 20 reps on the bench press. Every pass catcher participating tomorrow afternoon will benefit from catching passing for their starting quarterback from 2025, CJ Carr who will likely be throwing to Raridon, Fields and former Fighting Irish captain Will Pauling.
We'll also get to see offensive guard Billy Schrauth put up his first testing numbers. Schrauth only participated in the on-field drills down in Indianapolis about a month ago. The 6-5, 310-pound interior offensive lineman missed the final five games of the regular season with a knee injury. Schrauth wanted to wait until Notre Dame's Pro Day to run the 40-yard dash, participate in the 3-cone or shuttle run, put up reps on the bench press, record his broad jump and vertical jump.
Former right tackle Aamil Wagner participated in every drill down in Indianapolis outside of the 3-cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle run. His testing numbers were average compared to the 2026 offensive line draft class. Wagner will also have the opportunity to increase his draft stock putting up solid numbers at his Pro Day. The 6-6, 306-pound Ohio native performed well in the on-field drills at the NFL Combine, but a strong performance tomorrow afternoon would help boost his draft stock.
First-Time Testers
There's five players that will be participating, in some capacity, in Notre Dame's Pro Day that we didn't see down in Indianapolis at the NFL Combine. Four of those players are on the defensive side of the ball. The lone offensive player is Pauling, a player that I'm somewhat surprised didn't receive a combine invitation. Pauling ended the season as Notre Dame's leader in touchdown receptions. He would have likely put up some gaudy testing numbers; the 5-10, 190-pound Illinois native was named to Feldman's Freaks List back in 2024.
Pauling will get his chance to put up some impressive testing numbers and showcase his skillset in the on-field drills. Like Fields and Raridon, Pauling will greatly benefit from catching passes from Carr, a quarterback he built up a relationship with throughout their 12-game regular season in 2025. I'm looking forward to seeing what numbers a player with the nickname 'Gug-Rat' will put up tomorrow afternoon.
Tomorrow afternoon will be the first time we'll get to see defensive lineman Jared Dawson perform in these drills. Dawson is another player I was surprised didn't receiver and invite down to the combine after his season with the Irish. He finished with 20 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for a loss, 0.5 sacks, 22 total pressures and five hits on the quarterback. The 6-1, 288-pound defensive tackle could be another player drafted in a month based on what he did at Louisville and Notre Dame in 2025.
Fellow defensive tackle Gabriel Rubio will also perform in some capacity tomorrow afternoon. Rubio missed the final six games of his collegiate career after suffering an injury at home against NC State. The 6-5, 321-pound St. Louis native finished the season with 13 total tackles, six total pressures and four run stops. Scouts getting to see him perform at Notre Dame's Pro Day might boost his stock along with 'NFL frame'.
Two players from Notre Dame's secondary will also be testing. Nickel corner, and former Alabama transfer, DeVonta Smith will get his opportunity to test well and perform well in the on-field drills in front of multiple NFL scouts and coaches. Smith has a lack-luster final season with the Irish due to injuries he sustained throughout the season. The Ohio native finished his season with 20 total tackles in the eight regular season games he played in. In coverage, he was credited with three pass breakups and didn't allow a touchdown.
Safety Jalen Stroman, who might have had one of the best individual performance we've seen from a defensive player at Notre Dame against Syracuse, will also be in attendance tomorrow afternoon. Stroman transferred over from Virginia Tech to finished his collegiate career in South Bend. He ultimately lost the starting role to breakout redshirt freshman Tae Johnson, but Stroman still had a productive season for the Irish. With a strong performance tomorrow, he could enter the draft discussion.
For obvious reasons, we won't see star running back Jeremiyah Love perform tomorrow but he will be in attendance to root on his guys. In case you missed the announcement, Notre Dame's Pro Day will be from 12:30pm to 2:00pm tomorrow afternoon inside of the Irish Athletics Center. You can stream the even on Peacock where Tony Simeone will be on the call along with former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book and reporter Caroline Pineda.
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