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The 2024 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 25, 2024, in Detroit, Michigan and will be televised on ESPN, ABC and the NFL Network. The first round will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, followed by the second and third rounds on Friday at 7 p.m. ET, then rounds four through seven on Saturday starting at noon ET.

Twelve former Irish players from the 2023-24 team are hoping to hear their names called during the draft, including Joe Alt and Cam Hart. Notre Dame is expected to have multiple players selected for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons.

First Round

Joe Alt was selected as the fifth overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday, April 25, becoming the highest selection for a Notre Dame player since Rick Mirer was selected second by the Chicago Bears in 1993 and the highest Irish offensive lineman since Art Hunter in 1954, who was the third-overall selection by the Green Bay Packers in 1954.

He is the fourth offensive lineman from Notre Dame selected among the top nine picks in the NFL draft since 2016 (2016 Ronnie Stanley, sixth; 2018, Quenton Nelson, sixth; 2018, Mike McGlinchey ninth). 

Alt, who was a finalist for the 2023 Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy, served as the bedrock of Notre Dame’s offensive line from the left tackle position. The North Oaks, Minnesota, native helped the Irish offense finish the regular season ranked ninth in the FBS for scoring offense (39.1 points per game), 12th in team passing efficiency (161.49) and 16th in passing yards per completion (14.02). 

Notre Dame’s 39.1 points per game this season is the best average for the program since 1912, and would rank second all-time in the school record book. The Irish were in goal-line situations of five yards or less 18 times this season and converted each time, including 12 rushing touchdowns, four passing touchdowns and two field goals (one of which was forced by the end of a half). 

Notre Dame held seven of 12 opponents to their lowest sack totals of the year, including sixth-ranked Ohio State and 10th-ranked Southern Cal. The Irish offensive line helped their side of the ball rank eighth in the nation in tackles for loss allowed (3.75/game) and 13th in sacks allowed (1.17). 

According to Pro Football Focus (PFF), Alt allowed just five pressures and a single sack in 368 pass block sets this season. PFF ranked Alt as the second overall offensive tackle in the nation and is the only offensive tackle rated by the service in the top-eight in run blocking and pass blocking. He started all 13 games for the Irish in 2023 and since assuming the starting left tackle position during the 2021 season made 33 consecutive starts. 

Second Round

Blake Fisher was selected in the second round, 59th overall pick, of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Houston Texans on Friday evening. He joins Joe Alt (1st round, fifth overall) to make Notre Dame the first school with two offensive lineman selected in the draft. 

 

Fisher started 12 games in 2023 at right tackle, helping the Irish rush for 2,414 yards (185.7 per game) and allowing just 16 sacks to opposing defenses. The Avon, Indiana, native helped the Irish offense score at the second-highest point-per-game clip in program history (39.1) and eighth all-time in average yards per rush (5.3). Fisher began his career as a true freshman starting left tackle in 2021 in a victory at Florida State. He suffered an injury in that contest, however, and missed the rest of the season before returning to the offensive line to start at right tackle in a Fiesta Bowl matchup with Oklahoma State. Fisher started all 27 games in which he appeared at Notre Dame. 

Third Round

Marist Liufau was selected in the third round, 87th selection overall, by the Dallas Cowboys, becoming the first Irish defensive player to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

Liufau capped his collegiate career in 2023 by finishing off his second full season as a starting linebacker for the Irish. One of the team’s top tacklers, Liufau performed 44 stops while displaying his ability to drop into coverage (two pass break ups), rush the passer (three sacks) and make plays behind the line of scrimmage (six tackles for loss). He was a semifinalist for the DIck Butkus Award, given to the top collegiate linebacker in the nation, in 2023. 

The Notre Dame Defensive Player of the Game after the Navy victory in 2023 (seven tackles, four solo, forced fumble) Liufau appeared in 39 games in his college career with 28 starts, 118 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, four pass break ups and one interception. 

Fifth Round

Cornerback Cam Hart was selected in the fifth round with the 140th overall pick by the Los Angeles Chargers, becoming the second Irish player selected by the Chargers in the 2024 NFL Draft. Hart also will be reunited with former Notre Dame safeties coach Chris O’Leary who joined the Chargers during the offseason. 

One of four team captains in 2023, Hart started 12 games for the Irish and finished with 21 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, four pass breakups and three forced fumbles. 

A premier athlete, Hart was named to The Athletic Freaks List at No. 32 in 2023 and was an All-Independent Team selection by Phil Steele in 2021 when he started 10 games and piled up 42 tackles, nine pass break ups and two interceptions. 

Over his Notre Dame career, Hart appeared in 47 games with 32 starts while totaling 91 tackles, 10 tackle-for-loss, three forced fumbles and 19 pass break ups.  

 

Linebacker JD Bertrand was selected in the fifth round with the 143rd overall selection by the Atlanta Falcons. Bertrand combines with third-round selection Marist Liufau (Dallas Cowboys) to become the first pair of Notre Dame linebackers selected in the same NFL Draft since Rocky Boiman (fourth round, Tennessee Titans) and Tyreo Harrison (sixth round, Philadelphia Eagles) in 2002. 

The 27th two-time team captain in program history, Bertrand served as one the heartbeats for Notre Dame’s 2023 defense that finished as the fifth-rated overall group in the NCAA. He is just the fourth Notre Dame player to lead the team in tackles for three-consecutive seasons, piling up 76 stops in 2023. He had two double-digit tackle performances in 2023 with 11 in the victory at No. 17 Duke and 11 more in the win over No. 10 Southern Cal. Bertrand was a finalist for both the Campbell and Wuerffel trophies in 2023, he was named the Notre Dame Father Ted Man of the Year at Notre Dame’s annual Echoes Awards banquet and earned first-team College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors.

Bertrand is a member of the Alpha Mu Alpha Marketing Honor Society and was selected by the Notre Dame faculty for the 2022 Paul D. Gilbert Award for Leadership, given to a marketing student who has excelled in various extracurricular activities. 

Finishing his second year as a president for Uplifting Athletes, which provides experiences for children with rare diseases and their families, Bertrand helped the Notre Dame chapter raise over $80,000. For his work in the community and leadership on the field, Bertrand was named to the 2022 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team.

Also in the fifth round, the Denver Broncos selected running back Audric Estimé with the 147th overall selection. 

 

Estimé logged one of the most prolific seasons by a running back in Notre Dame football history in 2023, rushing for 1,341 yards (fifth on the Notre Dame single-season chart) and a single-season record 18 touchdowns. His final game in an Irish uniform was a memorable one as Estimé rumbled for 238 yards and four touchdowns in the victory at Stanford. It was the fourth-most rushing yards in a game for a Notre Dame player and pushed his career total to 2,321, which is 11th on the all-time Notre Dame list and just 20 yards behind George Gipp (2,341 from 1917-20). 

Among all FBS players, Estimé’s 1,341 yards ranked eighth at the end of the regular season and his yards-per-game average of 111.8 was 10th. His six 100-yard rushing games in 2023 will finish tied for 7th in the Notre Dame record book for a single season. Also, Estimé’s 6.22 career yards-per-rush average is ranked 8th all-time at Notre Dame. His 29 career rushing touchdowns rank him tied for seventh on the Irish charts.

Estimé’s two-year production is noteworthy as well. From 2022-23, his 2,261 yards are the 8th-most among FBS players and his 6.2 yards-per-carry average ranks 15th. 

Seventh Round

In the seventh round, Javontae Jean-Baptiste was selected with the 222nd overall pick in the NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders. 

Jean-Baptiste, a graduate transfer from Ohio State, saw a marked increase in his production as  a strong-side defensive end at Notre Dame. He played in all 13 games with 12 starts in 2023, piling up 49 tackles, a team-high 10.5 tackles-for-loss, five sacks and 11 quarterback hurries. 

 

Ever present around the football, Jean-Baptiste also recovered a fumble, forced a fumble, blocked a field goal and returned a blocked field goal for a touchdown during the 2023 campaign. He was named a team captain for the 2023 Sun Bowl victory over Oregon State. 

His work ethic and dedication to the team dynamic also earned him the Notre Dame Nick Pietrosante Spirit of the Game Award, as voted on by his Irish teammates. Jean-Baptiste appeared in 60 games during his collegiate career with 18 starts while compiling 102 tackles, 21 tackles-for-loss and 13 sacks. 

Free Agent Signings

 

Draft Prospects

Joe Alt

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Blake Fisher

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Marist Liufau

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Cam Hart

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JD Bertrand

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Audric Estimé

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Javontae Jean-Baptiste

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Thomas Harper

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Sam Hartman

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Spencer Shrader

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Michael "Milk" Vinson

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DJ Brown

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