Notre Dame Football: Recapping the Careers of the Irish NFL Draft Prospects

With the NFL draft having gotten underway on Thursday evening, the future careers of seven former Notre Dame players hang in the balance. 

Michael Floyd, Harrison Smith, Robert Blanton, Jonas Gray, Darius Fleming, Trevor Robinson and Taylor Dever are the seven draft hopefuls who spent their collegiate careers in South Bend. 

Each was recruited by former head coach Charlie Weis, who gave the promise of NFL careers to players he recruited. 

Now those promises are coming to fruition for these seven draft hopefuls. 

Now, let's take a look back on the Notre Dame careers of Floyd, Smith, Blanton, Gray, Fleming, Robinson and Dever. 

7. Darius Fleming, OLB

One of the most highly-touted defensive players to commit to Charlie Weis during his five seasons as head coach, Darius Fleming never truly lived up to expectations in an Irish uniform. 

During his four years in South Bend, the Chicago native was a fearsome run-stopper, but consistently struggled in pass coverage. 

Because of that drawback, Fleming's best chances in the NFL is as a hybrid defensive end/linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. 

Fleming started all 13 games of his junior season, as well as each of 13 games last season as a senior. Unfortunately for Fleming, he never legitimately lived up to his seemingly limitless potential. 

6. Jonas Gray, RB

What a story Jonas Gray was during his career in the blue and gold. 

A 4-star recruit out of Detroit's Country Day School, Gray was a much-coveted running back standing at 5'11" and 213 pounds. But it was his verified time of 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash that had college scouts salivating. 

Gray chose the Irish over the likes of Wisconsin, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska and Minnesota, among others. 

However, Gray found himself buried on the depth chart behind Armando Allen and Robert Hughes for the first three seasons of his career at Notre Dame. 

It wasn't until his senior season in 2011 that Gray finally burst onto the scene. He and Cierre Wood combined to form one of the nation's elite running back tandems. 

A season-ending ACL tear in November certainly hurt Gray's draft stock, but any team that selects Gray is receiving a gym rat who will earn everything. 

5. Trevor Robinson, OL

Perhaps the most celebrated offensive line commit under Charlie Weis, Trevor Robinson was a starter for four full seasons at Notre Dame. 

Robinson was considered by Rivals.com as a 4-star recruit out of Elkhorn High School in Omaha, Neb. 

Robinson cut his list of schools down to three, with the 6'6", 304-pound behemoth choosing Notre Dame over Nebraska and Michigan. 

Draft scouts are expecting Robinson to be a late-round selection, if not sign on with a team as an undrafted free agent. 

4. Taylor Dever, OL

Taylor Dever was never a big name on campus, but thankfully for Irish fans, he was always a consistent presence on the offensive line. 

Once he earned a starting spot as a junior during Brian Kelly's first season as head coach, Dever was never a cause for concern. 

The 6'5", 301-pound product out of Nevada City, California was excellent in pass protection, rarely yielding sacks. It was in run blocking that Dever showed weakness. 

Should he be selected by an NFL squad, Dever had to have impressed enough pro scouts on film. 

3. Robert Blanton, CB

Robert Blanton was forced to hold down the fort at cornerback during the past two seasons, much to the disappointment of Notre Dame fans.

Another 4-star defensive recruit brought in by Charlie Weis, Blanton was more than impressive in rush defense despite being a defensive back. 

His best games in an Irish uniforms came against option teams such as Navy, Air Force and Army. 

Blanton's main struggle in South Bend was consistency in pass defense. He was burned more times than his coaches would care to remember, but also had a number of clutch plays during his four years on campus. 

2. Harrison Smith, S

The unspoken leader of Brian Kelly's squad for the better part of the past two seasons, Harrison Smith has been assumed by many to sneak into the latter stages of the first round. 

During his five years in South Bend, Smith spent time as a safety and linebacker before settling into safety full-time when Brian Kelly arrived on the job. 

It was during those two seasons that Smith truly blossomed into the player that he is today. 

The 6'3", 215-pound Knoxville, Tennessee product possesses the speed to play strong safety and the strength to deliver punishing hits as a free safety. 

Any team that chooses Smith will not regret its choice. 

1. Michael Floyd, WR

At the time of publication of this article, Michael Floyd had been selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the 13th-overall pick in the NFL draft. 

Floyd is, no doubt, the best wide receiver to have ever played under the golden dome. 

As a senior in 2011, Floyd racked up 100 receptions for 1,147 yards and nine touchdowns. 

A four-year starter in South Bend, Floyd developed in a pro system during his first two seasons under Charlie Weis and continued to hone his skills in Brian Kelly's spread offense. 

Pro scouts drool over his pure physical size and run-blocking ability. Floyd's most glaring weakness, aside from his off-field transgressions, is his route-running.