The beginning of March calls for an important time in the NFL offseason: Collegiate Pro Days. The Steelers bring the house again as Mike Tomlin, Omar Khan, Arthur Smith, and Teryl Austin head to Notre Dame. This marks the second destination for this powerhouse bunch, and it’s another hot one. Notre Dame produces top tier talent consistently, and this year was no less. The program finished 14-2 placing them second in the AP Top 25 rankings. They made their way through the playoffs, ultimately losing to Ohio State in the National Championship. The 2025 Draft prospects out of Notre Dame showed out through the entire season into the playoffs. Here we look at the top Fighting Irish prospects heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 2025 NFL Draft is swiftly approaching as it begins on April 24th. On the road to the Draft, keep an eye on our Draft Profiles and Draft Previews.
Benjamin Morrison CB
Junior
6’0” 193 lbs.
Starting off with the top prospect coming out of Notre Dame this year, Morrison was a four-star recruit out of high school. He made an immediate impact his freshman year at Notre Dame. He earned Freshaman All-American in his first season with the program. After an exceptional first year, Morrison continued showcasing his skill throughout his next two seasons. He ultimately finished his final season with Notre Dame with 20 tackles in only six games. Morrison suffered a season-ending injury, cutting his last season short. He primarily lines up as an outside corner and plays press coverage very well compared to zone.
- Plays man coverage very well, sticky on his coverage by staying with the receiver throughout his route.
- Contends well with receivers, has 18 pass deflections and 9 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown) in 31 games.
- Has tremendous closing speed, sniffs out run plays very well and breaks downhill fast.
- Great down field defender.
- Has the speed to stay with receivers in a footrace and contends the ball very well.
Projection: Day 2 (2nd Round)
Howard Cross III DT
Redshirt Senior
6’1” 285 lbs.
Cross was a tremendous athlete coming out of high school where he was a four-star recruit as well as a state-champion wrestler. With an already athletic background, Cross committed to Notre Dame. He made an impact in a shortened freshman season which continued into his sophomore year. He played a total of five seasons in college and will be 24 years old the time the regular season begins this year. Cross finished his collegiate career notching 4 sacks and 28 total tackles. He possesses a solid build at 285 lbs as well as an athletic presence.
- Background as a state-champion wrestler, shows elite strength and has championship background.
- Shows an explosive jump off the snap, able to get through his blocker quickly.
- Moves laterally very well, capable of getting outside on runs and screens.
- Plays very aggressive and can easily disrupt blocks.
- Very athletic presence in the middle of the defensive line, gets off his stance quickly.
Projection: Day 3 (Late 6th Round/Early 7th Round)
Jack Kiser LB
Redshirt Senior
6’2” 231 lbs.
A player who played both sides of the ball in high school where he was a quarterback and linebacker. Kiser was a four-star recruit heading into college. He also played five total seasons for the Fighting Irish and will turn 25 this upcoming season. Kiser made an impact his first complete season and continued to improve throughout his collegiate career. He finished his senior year with 90 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 sacks. Kiser plays violently and isn’t afraid to finish his tackles. He shows great consistency and amazing football IQ.
- Has great knowledge to back his game.
- Patient in rushing downhill.
- Shows a powerful rush when blitzing, has a variety of moves to use and has great strength.
- Ability to transition into coverage well.
- Has great experience playing in almost 1,000 snaps in college.
- His age plays a huge role in his draft position, but his knowledge behind it helps him.
Projection: Day 3 (Late 6th Round)
Mitchell Evans TE
Senior
6’5” 258 lbs.
The tight end on the list coming in at a solid size for his position. Evans played at both quarterback and tight end in his high school career. He became a three-star recruit and committed to Notre Dame. He filled the backup tight end spot his first couple years, soon finding more reps his last two years. Faced a season-ending knee injury in 2023. Evans finished his collegiate career with 421 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. Evans has a solid size when blocking and transitions well to become a target for his quarterback.
- Works great as a blocker, possesses great strength and has a dominant build.
- Wins contested catches and shows great hand strength, made an impressive contested catch against Penn State in the CFB Semifinal.
- Has a great first punch as a blocker, brings immediate aggression behind his blocks.
- Centers himself well and keeps his hands inside the pads, rarely knocked off balance.
- A rough and aggressive pass catcher matched with aggressive blocking will draw attention in this tight end class.
Projection: Day 3 (Late 4th Round/ Early 5th)
Riley Leonard QB
Senior
6’4” 216 lbs.
A tall, scrambling quarterback who puts his body on the line in important games for his team. Leonard was a multi-sport athlete where he played Basketball and Football in high school. He committed to Duke coming out of high school. There he played two seasons with the Blue Devils and later transferred to Notre Dame. Leonard only played one season with the Irish, ultimately taking them to the National Championship. He finished his collegiate career with 2,861 passing yards and 21 touchdowns. Leonard also rushed for 906 yards and had 17 rushing touchdowns. He plays with a lot of toughness and rushes with aggression which in return leads to defenders having some difficulty tackling him.
- Solid size at 6’4” 216 lbs. A tall quarterback in the pocket and big body when rushing.
- Shines brightest when in the red zone, helped the team score 39 touchdowns when in the 20-yard line.
- An absolute weapon in the redzone, can beat defenses with the pass or gritty run up the middle.
- Scrambles very well and finds his way out of pressure quickly, possesses great vision when running downfield.
- Has a solid deep ball and great arm strength, can be inconsistent hitting his target at some times.
- All around solid runner when scrambling, has a solid arm, and adapts to a scheme and playbook very quickly.
Projection: Day 2 (Late 3rd Round)
RJ Oben EDGE
Redshirt Senior
6’3” 251 lbs.
Oben began his career at high school in New Jersey and became a three-star recruit. He committed to Duke at first. There he played four full seasons finishing with 14.5 sacks and 66 total tackles. He built a reputation behind his name during the four years at Duke and transferred to Notre Dame, where he played his final season. He finished his collegiate career with 19 total tackles and one sack. Oben is a versatile player being he can line up on the edge or the middle of the defensive line. He is a proven threat at both positions.
- An athletic build at 251 lbs.
- Shown to have great versatility, sets the edge great and can become a solid run stopper in the middle of the line.
- Possesses elite bend to get around the line.
- Times the snap pretty well, shows a fast and aggressive first move off the line.
- Improved over his career at Duke, fell into a rather lackluster season with Notre Dame.
- All around average player with capability of improving at the NFL level.
Projection: Day 3 (Late 7th Round/ UDFA)
Rylie Mills DT
Redshirt Senior
6’5” 291 lbs.
Coming in at an outstanding height is Mills who was a four-star recruit out of high school. He showed a lot of promise after his first full season with the Irish where he put up 16 total tackles and 3 sacks. Mills continued to show improvement throughout his time at Notre Dame. He finished his last season with 7.5 sacks and 37 total tackles, a huge leap from his first season. He unfortunately suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first round of the recent college football playoffs. Mills shows signs of improvement, he has a great build, and moves very well on the defensive line.
- Ran a 4.7 40-yard dash, shows a great burst of speed and acceleration at 291 lbs.
- Moves very well on the line, shows great lateral movement getting to the outside on runs and screens.
- Possesses a variety of moves to get past offensive linemen, a strong bull rush mixed with a solid swim move are what stand out to me.
- Pushes through the offensive line well, keeps himself centered and charges through with aggression.
- What sets him apart is his great height paired with a relentless motor. Mills is always powering through reps at a high level.
Projection: Day 2 (3rd Round)
Xavier Watts S
Redshirt Senior
6’0” 204
One of the best safety prospects in the Draft this year is Xavier Watts. Coming out of high school as a four-star recruit, Watts committed to Notre Dame and saw some action early. He played in 11 games his full first season where he had 15 total tackles, and continued to improve throughout his career in college. He soon became a 2x All-American and finished his collegiate career with elite stats. Putting up 82 total tackles, 6 interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and 10 pass deflections. Notably, Watts finished his last two seasons in Notre Dame with 13 interceptions. Watts is a known ballhawk and covers elite ground with his solid lateral movement.
- Has background of being a wide receiver in high school. Shows great acceleration and solid balltracking.
- Showed great promise in his last two seasons. Not only finishing those two seasons with 13 interceptions, but zero penalties as well.
- Extremely disciplined and patient.
- Recognizes offensive schemes very well before the snap, positions himself in response to what he sees.
- Solid downhill runner, shows no trouble in open-field tackling.
- Has many clips of him baiting quarterbacks into throwing towards his direction.
- All around extremely athletic and intelligent safety downfield who has padded stats to be a starter his first year.
Projection: Day 2 (2nd Round)
