May 8, 2014

• Outside chance Notre Dame could see 12 players drafted. If that happens, it would mark the biggest draft haul in 64 years for the Irish, since the program had 13 former players taken in the 1950 draft.
• Let’s not forget that Danny Spond was in position to play himself into a draft pick before retiring last summer.
• The fact that a dozen former Irish players have a chance to be drafted is an obvious testament to the strides made in the Brian Kelly era.
• Notre Dame will likely see nine players selected in the draft, which would be the most since 1994.
• With six players drafted last year, 14 drafted over two years would be the most in back-to-back drafts since 1994-95.

1st Round Draft SelectionsLou Holtz (1988-1997)          12Brian Kelly (2010-2013)        3Tyrone Willingham (2003-2005)  1Charlie Weis (2006-2010)       1Bob Davie (1998-2002)          1Total                          18

• If Zack Martin, Louis Nix III and Stephon Tuitt were all selected in the first round, it would give the Irish a trio of first-round picks for the first time since 1994.
• Brian Kelly then would have produced six first-round picks over the last three NFL Drafts. Notre Dame totaled just four over the previous 17 NFL Drafts.
• Lou Holtz produced three first-round selections over his first five draft classes at Notre Dame.
• Brian Kelly is on the verge of having at least five first-round selections during the same time period.
• In the past seven years, Notre Dame has placed all of its starting tight ends into the NFL, and every single one was drafted in the second round or higher (Anthony Fasano, 2nd; John Carlson, 2nd; Kyle Rudolph, 2nd; and Tyler Eifert, 1st).
• Zack Martin will be the first Notre Dame offensive lineman selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Jeff Faine in 2003.
• Louis Nix III and/or Stephon Tuitt will be the first Notre Dame defensive lineman selected in the first round of the NFL Draft since Renaldo Wynn in 1997.
• Troy Niklas is projected to be a second round draft selection.
• Notre Dame will likely have four players drafted in the first two rounds of the NFL draft for the first time since 1994.
• That would give Notre Dame nine players chosen in the top two rounds of the NFL Draft in the last four years under Brian Kelly.
• The Irish had the same amount drafted in the top two rounds of the previous seven drafts.

— ND —