SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) – After three days and seven rounds, the 2024 NFL Draft is officially over.
Notre Dame had seven players selected in this year’s draft. The Fighting Irish now have 532 draft picks in program history, keeping them at No. 1 on the list for most all-time draft picks by a college.
Joe Alt heard his name called the earliest, as he was selected with the fifth overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round of the draft on Thursday night. The 6′9″ left tackle is Notre Dame’s highest draft selection for a since 1993 and the highest Irish offensive lineman selected since 1954.
Alt will be joined in Los Angeles by a couple of other teammates who we will mention momentarily.
A couple of other Irish players found new homes at the pro level in Texas on Friday night, as offensive tackle Blake Fisher went to the Houston Texans in the second round and linebacker Marist Liufau was picked by the Dallas Cowboys in the third.
On Saturday, the Irish had four more players selected. The big round for Notre Dame was No. 5, where three Irish players were selected in the span of eight picks.
Cornerback Cam Hart was taken at 140th overall by the Chargers, linebacker and Georgia native JD Bertrand was selected 143rd overall by the Atlanta Falcons, and running back Audric Estimé was drafted 147th overall by the Denver Broncos.
The last Irish player to hear his name called in this year’s draft was Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who was picked at 222nd overall in the seventh round by the Washington Commanders.
While Jean-Baptiste was the last Notre Dame player to get drafted, a big part of NFL Draft weekend still involves guys who didn’t hear their name called. The undrafted free agent market picks up almost immediately after the draft every year, and this year was no different.
There’s a handful of other former Notre Dame players who didn’t get picked but are still headed to new homes, with the biggest one being quarterback Sam Hartman. The Wake Forest transfer and six-year college football veteran will be joining Jean-Baptiste in our nation’s capital, as he was signed by the Commanders as an undrafted free agent.
Safety Thomas Harper will be heading to Los Angeles alongside Alt and Hart after signing with the Chargers.
Meanwhile, two more Irish players will be staying in Indiana. The Indianapolis Colts signed kicker Spencer Shrader, while long snapper Michael Vinson received a rookie minicamp invite.
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