The 2026 NFL Combine has officially came to a close down in Indianapolis and we’re only 52 days away from this year’s NFL Draft. Notre Dame had six players perform at the combine who all had hopes of improving their draft stock this past weekend. The mock drafts are starting to get cranked out and Nate Davis of USA Today Sports projects three former Notre Dame standouts to get drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft later this spring.

If that’s the case, that would be the first time the Irish have three picks in the first round since the 1994 NFL Draft when Bryant Young, Aaron Taylor and Jeff Burris were all drafted in the first round. This would be a historic NFL Draft for the Irish if that were to be the case.

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No. 4 – Running Back Jeremiyah Love, Tennessee Titans

The 6-0, 214-pound running back ended his Notre Dame career as one of the most prolific ball carriers to line up in the backfield. He was named a Unanimous All-American and was only the 38th player in the history of the Fighting Irish football program to achieve that feat.

Love had a strong performance down in Indianapolis and solidified himself as the No. 1 running back in this year’s draft class. The Titans taking him with the fourth overall pick would make a lot of sense. Love will likely be the best available player remaining on the board at the point in time and Tennessee is in need of more star power on offense to go along with quarterback Cam Ward who is headed into his second year in the league.

The St. Louis native ended the regular season ranked 2nd nationally in scoring, 2nd in total points scored, 2nd in total touchdowns (21), 3rd in rushing touchdowns (18), 4th in rushing yards (1,372), 5th in rushing yards per game (114.3), 5th in yards per carry (6.9) and 5th in all purpose yards per game (137.67). The St. Louis native finished the regular season with 199 carries, 1,372 rushing yards, 27 receptions, 280 receiving yards, 18 rushing touchdowns and three receiving touchdowns.

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No. 26 – Wide Receiver Malachi Fields, Buffalo Bills

The 6-4, 218-pound receiver finished the 2025 season with 36 receptions, 630 receiving yards, averaged 17.5 yards per catch and had five receiving touchdowns. In his career, Fields accumulated 165 receptions, 2,479 receiving yards and 16 receiving touchdowns. He’s one of the most productive receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft and is a physical specimen.

His performance at the combine didn’t turn many heads, but it also didn’t decimate his chances of being a late day-one to early day-two pick. The Bills are in need of a No. 1 receiver and a big-bodied target for quarterback Josh Allen to target in the pass game. Fields is an extremely gifted route runner arguably has the best contested catch ability of the 2026 receiver draft class.

Fields was brought into South Bend to be their primary boundary receiver and quickly became one of quarterback CJ Carr’s go-to targets throughout the season. He helped jumpstart the offense in the second half against Miami and had one of the best games of his career against Pitt on the road hauling in two touchdown grabs and one of the best catches of the 2025 season. 

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No. 32 – Running Back Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks

The 5-11, 203-pound running back had one of the most complete performances at the NFL Combine amongst the running backs. Price showed of his smooth running ability combined with his explosiveness during the testing and on-field drills throughout the afternoon. His official 4.49 40-yard dash time puts him in the top half of the running backs that performed at the combine. Add that to his extremely productive career in South Bend, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that he goes as the final pick in the third round.

He finished his Notre Dame career with 1,692 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns 162 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. This past season alone, Price rushed for 674 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, caught two receiving touchdowns and took two 100-yard kick returns to the house, one against Purdue and one against USC. He would be an explosive playmaker for the Seattle offense.

Price’s fit in the Seahawks backfield would compliment current running back Kenneth Walker III who is fresh off of a win in the Super Bowl and was named the Super Bowl MVP after his 135 rushing yard performance against the New England Patriots. The Seahawks have yet to resign the Michigan State alum, but bringing him back and adding Price would make that a formidable backfield.

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