I was surprised to learn that in the previous 12 NFL Drafts -- only two Notre Dame players had been drafted in the 1st Round; Jeff Faine in 2003 and Brady Quinn in 2007.
That changed today -- BIG TIME -- when Michael Floyd (13th overall) and Harrison Smith (29th overall) became the 61st and 62nd players in the 125 year history of Notre Dame football to be drafted in the First Round of the NFL Draft. (Painting above of Angelo Bertelli, Notre Dame's first #1 overall player taken in the NFL Draft.)
ALL TIME -- NOTRE DAME FIRST ROUND NFL SELECTIONS
- 2012: Michael Floyd and Harrison Smith
- 2007: Brady Quinn
- 2003: Jeff Faine
- 1999: Luke Pettigout
- 1997: Renaldo Wynn
- 1994: Bryant Young, Aaron Taylor and Jeff Burris
- 1993: Rick Mirer, Jerome Bettis, Tom Carter and Irv Smith
- 1992: Derek Brown
- 1991: Todd Lyght
- 1989: Andy Heck
- 1988: Tim Brown
- 1986: Eric Dorsey
- 1984: Greg Bell
- 1983: Tony Hunter
- 1982: Bob Crable
- 1980: Vagas Ferguson
- 1978: Ken MacAfee, Ross Browner and Luther Bradley
- 1976: Steve Niehaus
- 1975: Mike Fanning
- 1972: Walt Patulski*, Clarence Ellis and Mike Kadish
- 1970: Mike McCoy
- 1969: George Kunz and Jim Seymour
- 1968: Kevin Hardy
- 1967: Paul Seller, Alan Page and Tom Regner
- 1965: Jack Snow
- 1960: George Izo and Monty Stickles
- 1959: Nick Pietrosante
- 1957: Paul Hornung*
- 1955: Joe Heap, Frank Varrichone and Ralph Guglliemi
- 1954: Johnny Lattner, Art Hunter and Neil Worden
- 1951: Jerry Groom and Bob Williams
- 1950: Leon Hart*
- 1949: Bill Fischer and Frank Tripucka
- 1946: Bobby Dancewicz*, George Connor, Emil Sitko and Johnny Lujack
- 1945: Frank Szymanski and John Yonakor
- 1944: Angelo Bertelli* and Creighton Miller
- 1936: William Shakespeare
LINK: NFL ALL-TIME DRAFT LIST OF NOTRE DAME PLAYERS
*DENOTES: Drafted #1 Overall!
