NFL mock draft: Where Notre Dame football players are expected to land in 2025 draft

Under third-year coach Marcus Freeman, the Fighting Irish rebounded from a shocking early loss to Northern Illinois to win 13 consecutive games, taking them all the way to the championship of the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff. Once there, they lost to Ohio State in dramatic fashion, but whatever heartbreak there was existed alongside a sense of hope and pride in both what the program had accomplished and what awaits it in the years to come.

Now, several of the key pieces from that team are on their way to the NFL.

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The 2025 NFL draft gets started with Thursday night’s first round at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Though no Notre Dame players are widely projected to end up among the draft’s first 32 picks, more than a handful of them will hear their names called between Thursday and Saturday, turning a life-long dream into a hard-earned reality.

Who will be the next group of Irish standouts to turn their college accomplishments into NFL glory? And where are they expected to begin their careers?

Here’s a look at where Notre Dame players are projected to end up in the 2025 NFL draft:

Notre Dame football players in 2025 NFL mock drafts
Here’s a list of Notre Dame football players who appeared in the seven-round NFL mock draft from Dane Brugler of The Athletic:

S Xavier Watts: Round 2 to the Baltimore Ravens (No. 59 overall)

CB Benjamin Morrison: Round 3 to the Las Vegas Raiders (No. 68 overall)

DT Rylie Mills: Round 4 to the Baltimore Ravens (No. 129 overall)

QB Riley Leonard: Round 5 to the Indianapolis Colts (No. 151 overall)

TE Mitchell Evans: Round 5 to the New England Patriots (No. 171 overall)

LB Jack Kiser: Round 6 to the Washington Commanders (No. 205 overall)

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Most Notre Dame players selected in NFL draft
Though it’s not terribly surprising given the program’s illustrious and lengthy history, Notre Dame is one of the most well-represented schools at the NFL draft in the event’s history.

In 13 different drafts, the Irish have had at least 10 players selected, a mark they last reached in 1994. The six players projected in Brugler’s mock draft would be a dip from the seven Notre Dame had selected last year.

Here’s a look at the most Irish players selected in a single NFL draft: