April 26, 2007
This weekend, UND.com will be the best place on the internet to track the progress of former Notre Dame student-athletes at the 2007 NFL Draft. Updated player biographies and statistics are already posted as well as multimedia features on several individuals. The site will be updated as soon as possible with the team and pick number and any additional bits of information (additional Notre Dame press releases, quotes from players following selection, etc.) will be posted when available.
The Fighting Irish have several players that should be drafted this weekend, headlined by QB Brady Quinn. Quinn will most likely become the first Notre Dame player drafted in the first round since Jeff Faine was selected by Cleveland with the 21st pick in the 2003 Draft. Quinn should also be the first Irish QB taken in the first round since Rick Mirer was taken with the second-overall pick by Seattle in the 1993 Draft.
Notre Dame has had at least one player drafted every year since 1978 and only twice since the first NFL Draft in 1936 has there been a draft where no Fighting Irish player was selected (1937, 1977). Notre Dame ranks third among all schools with 60 players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft (USC, 65; Ohio State, 64) and 453 former Fighting Irish players have been chosen by NFL clubs in the Draft’s history.
Since the NFL moved to a seven-round draft in 1994, 62 players have been picked from Notre Dame, highlighted by the 10 players selected in the 1994 Draft. Seven Domers were taken in 1999 and 2003 while six former Irish football players were drafted in both 2001 and 2002. There is a distinct possibility there could be more players drafted from Notre Dame on the first day (Rounds 1-3) this year than in any draft from the past 10 years (1997 saw four Irish players taken in the first three rounds).
The 2007 NFL Draft takes place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on Saturday and Sunday, April 28-29. Television coverage starts at 11:00 am ET on Saturday on both ESPN and NFL Network while coverage begins Sunday at 11:00 am ET on ESPN and noon ET on NFL Network.