Notre Dame Football: How Many 2012 NFL Draft Picks Do the Irish Have?

What's made Notre Dame’s 2011 season so disappointing and frustrating has been the fact that the Irish possess the talent to be much better than their 5-3 record, but because of a propensity for making mistakes at crucial times, a lack of consistent effort, troubles with coach-player cohesion and a few other factors, the team has just failed to live up to its potential this year.

Going into the season, it was obvious why Notre Dame fans were excited. All you had to do was take one look at the roster to see that this team had the talent to make a run at a double-digit win season. However, all that talent just hasn’t gotten the job done, which has become a recurring theme for Notre Dame in recent years.

Even though the Irish have struggled at times this season, that hasn’t stopped the NFL scouts from showing up in South Bend to get a look at some of Notre Dame’s top pro prospects.

The most high-profile prospect on the team is star wide receiver Michael Floyd, who chose to return for his senior season, instead of entering the 2011 draft and likely being taken late in the first round.

Floyd wanted to show the world that he was one of college football’s top talents and that he was worthy of being a Top 15 pick, and so far, he’s done just that.

The 6’3’’, 225-pound senior has enjoyed a terrific senior campaign, as he's hauled in 63 passes for 788 yards and scored five touchdowns.

Floyd has all the traits—size, speed, hands, route-running skills, vision and coverage recognition—that pro scouts covet in a go-to receiver, and he's proven that he can catch any ball thrown in his general direction, whether it be in spectacular or routine fashion.

In my opinion, he’s got a chance to be a Vincent Jackson-Braylon Edwards hybrid at the NFL level, and he’s definitely worthy of consideration early in the first round.

Outside of Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon, there won’t be a receiver in next year’s draft who I would take over Floyd.

Floyd may be the only first-round prospect coming out of Notre Dame this year, but he may not be the only notable one.

If junior linebacker Manti Te’o decides to forgo his final season, there are going to be a lot of teams interested in his services in the second round.

Te’o, who is an absolute beast against the run, has everything you look for in an inside linebacker but what will keep him from being a first-round pick is the fact that inside linebacker is one of the least valuable positions in today’s pass-happy NFL, and the 6'2'', 255-pound junior has shown that he can be a liability in pass-coverage throughout his three year collegiate career.

Floyd and Te’o are Notre Dame’s two true “big-name” prospects, but the Irish will have a few other prospects that should make it to the NFL combine to have a chance to prove themselves to NFL teams.

Senior Harrison Smith has all the makings of a valuable mid-round safety prospect and his two fellow defensive backfield mates, cornerbacks Robert Blanton and Gary Gray, will get a look from scouts as well, especially Blanton, a former 4-star recruit who has the size-speed combo that NFL teams desire in a corner.

Outside Linebacker Darius Fleming will also be drafted, most likely by a team that employs a 3-4 defense and could use some help at the rush-linebacker position.

The two redshirt sophomores to keep an eye on are RB Cierre Wood and TE Tyler Eifert, two young, talented players who have bright futures ahead of them but who also don’t have the established resumes to warrant a high-round pick just yet.

Wood and Eifert could definitely use another year of seasoning at the collegiate level, and if they both decide to return, they should both be high picks if they decide to come out for the 2013 draft.