Notre Dame's Aamil Wagner aims to elevate his draft stock. Can his athletic traits and big-game experience overcome size concerns at the NFL Combine?
Tomorrow, the 2026 NFL Combine is set to kick off and will feature six former Notre Dame players who are looking to take their game to the next level. Now, every player has a different set of things they'll have their eyes set to work on throughout the combine. It's likely all six for Fighting Irish players participate in the media day, but it's up for debate whether all will compete in drills for various reasons. Former Notre Dame right tackle Aamil Wagner looks to impress and increase his draft stock this weekend in Indianapolis.
After a rough start to the regular season, Wagner turned things around and was much better pass protector as the season went on. In the season opener against Miami on the road, the 6-6, 300-pound tackle allowed four total pressures, one hit on the quarterback and two sacks against, by far, the two best defensive ends Notre Dame faced in the regular season.
From then on, Wagner didn't allow a single hit or sack on the quarterback and only allowed three hurries throughout the rest of the regular season in their 11 remaining games. One thing that might have factored into Wagner's performance in 2025 was his lack of participation in the spring. After starting in every game in 2024 and playing 973 offensive snaps, he had a lighter workload in the spring. I think that played a factor into his performance this past season.
Still, he's an athletic prospect that beings good lateral quickness to the table in pass protection. He's faced some extremely talented pass rushers over the last two seasons including Jack Sawyer from Ohio State who now plays for the Steelers, Abdul Carter who now plays for the New York Giants and Rueben Bain and Akeem Mesidor who will both be drafted in this year's draft.
Experience playing in big moments against big time players won't be a question for Wagner, but his weight is a concern for some teams. Up until 2025, he played under 300-pounds and you could argue his performance took a step back this past season playing at a higher weight. His ability as a run blocker at the next level remains a question so his performance at the combine will have to play a factor.
I'm sure Wagner will test well; he's an athletic and long tackle, but a strong performance in the on-the-field drills will help out tremendously. There's a good possibility that Wagner gets drafted sometime in the later rounds; the one thing we know about the Ohio native is his character.
The biggest thing that carries little to no concern will be his time with the media later today and tomorrow. Wagner was a Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Finalist and was a member of the 2025 All-State AFCA Good Works Team.
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