Samardzija Breaks Bat Over Knee Last Night

The former Notre Dame All-America wide receiver is now 4 - 1 on the season for the San Francisco Giants -- after beating the Cincinnati Reds last night.

It was Jeff's third straight win -- a first for his major league career!

LINK:  MLB STORY

LINK:  SAMARDZIJA'S PITCHING STATS

Dallas Cowboys' 5 + 4 = Jaylon's Old ND #9

Notre Dame All-American Jaylon Smith has a new number -- can't wait to see him flash #54 for the Dallas Cowboys!

V.J. Beachem Decides to Stay at Notre Dame

Notre Dame's top scorer in their NCAA run this past March -- has decided to return to school for his senior season.

The Cowboys Phone Call to Jaylon Smith!

Enjoy!

LINK:  JAYLON SMITH

Skylar Talks What it Takes to Return to WNBA

Go all-access with @DWingsHoops​ guard @SkyDigg4​ as she prepares for the season! #WatchMeWork  https://t.co/eeND7eNobL

— WNBA (@WNBA) May 1, 2016

NFL Contract Values of Notre Dame's 7 Drafted

Here's a look at the total contract value of the seven Notre Dame football players drafted into the NFL these past few days:

• Ronnie Stanley:  $20.5 million total contract / $13.1m guaranteed
• Will Fuller:  $10.2 million total contract / $5.6m guaranteed
• Jaylon Smith:  $6.5 million total contract / $2.9m guaranteed
• Nick Martin:  $4.8 million total contract / $1.7m guaranteed
• KeiVarae Russell:  $3.3 million total contract / $813k guaranteed
• C.J. Prosise:  $3.1 million total contract / $692k guaranteed
• Sheldon Day: $2.9 million total contract / $609k guaranteed

The SEVEN will sign NFL contracts that total:  $51.3 million.

LINK:  CONTRACT VALUES -- 2016 NFL DRAFTED PLAYERS

Notre Dame Players Drafted by Position Rank

Here are the SEVEN NOTRE DAME PLAYERS DRAFTED into the NFL this week -- and their draft rank by position:

• Ronnie Stanley -- 1st offensive lineman drafted
• Will Fuller -- 2nd wide receiver drafted
• Jaylon Smith -- 3rd linebacker drafted
• Nick Martin -- 2nd center drafted
• KeiVarae Russell -- 12th cornerback drafted
• C.J. Prosise -- 4th running back drafted
• Sheldon Day -- 28th defensive lineman drafted

ND's Undrafted Free Agents Sign NFL Deals

To date -- here are the NFL free agent signings of a number of former Notre Dame players...

• Romeo Okwara -- New York Giants
• Mathias Farley -- Arizona Cardinals
• Chris Brown -- Dallas Cowboys
• Elijah Shumate -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Amir Carlisle -- Arizona Cardinals
• Ishaq Williams -- New York Giants
• Jarrett Grace -- Chicago Bears

First: The Phone Call --- Last: The Hall of Fame

What does it sound like when Jerry Jones asks you to come play for his team?

Listen in.#NDinTheNFL
https://t.co/QvToPO37BP

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 30, 2016

Going to be fun watching the "in-between" -- congratulations Jaylon Smith!

Sheldon Day Selected #103 Overall to Jaguars

🎥 The moment when Sheldon Day became a Jaguar.

7 players from ND were drafted in the first 4 rounds.#NDinTheNFL
https://t.co/K7h4Ac7t4x

— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) April 30, 2016

Former Notre Dame defensive lineman Sheldon Day was just selected #103 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL Draft.

With this selection -- Notre Dame is now tied with USC for the all-time lead in total players drafted into the NFL with 492.

Congrats Sheldon!

Cowboys' Team Doc Operated on Jaylon's Knee

You just have to wonder -- what did Dallas know about Jaylon's knee that the other 31 NFL teams did not...

LINK:  JAYLON AND THE COWBOYS

LINK:  ESPN STORY

Ronnie Stanley's Ravens' Press Conference

The now "former" Fighting Irish star was in Baltimore yesterday to meet his new team and town...

LINK:  RONNIE STANLEY PRESSER

Will Fuller's Houston Texans' Press Conference

The former Fighting Irish star was in Houston yesterday -- meeting his new team and town...

LINK:  WILL FULLER PRESSER

Six Notre Dame Players Taken in First 90 Picks

It's been a great first two nights of the 2016 NFL Draft for a number of Notre Dame Football stars -- with six being drafted in the first 3 rounds:

• #6:  Ronnie Stanley -- Baltimore Ravens
• #21:  Will Fuller -- Houston Texans
• #34:  Jaylon Smith -- Dallas Cowboys
• #50:  Nick Martin -- Houston Texans
• #74:  KeiVarae Russell -- Kansas City Chiefs
• #90:  C.J. Prosise -- Seattle Seahawks

Here's a look at the colleges with the most players taken in the first 3 rounds of the 2016 NFL Draft:

1. Ohio State:  10 players drafted
2. Alabama:  7 players drafted
3. NOTRE DAME:  6 players drafted
4. Clemson:  4 players drafted 
5. USC / Penn State / Florida / Ole Miss:  3 players drafted

Here's a look at some schools that haven't fared so well with NFL Draft picks -- in the first 3 rounds.  Many of these schools routinely have top rated recruiting classes:

• Michigan:  1
• LSU:  1
• Auburn:  1
• Oklahoma:  1
• Oregon:  1
• Virginia Tech:  1 
• Boston College:  1
• Miami (FL):  1
• Oklahoma State:  1
• TCU:  1
• Tennessee:  0
• Iowa:  0 
• North Carolina:  0
• Arizona:  0
• Arizona State:  0
• Texas:  0

LINK:  NFL DRAFT TRACKER -- COLLEGES

Prosise Goes #90 Overall to Seattle Seahawks!

Former Notre Dame student-athlete C.J. Prosise was drafted with the 90th pick of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks.

Congratulations C.J.!

LINK:  SEATTLE TIMES

KeiVarae Goes #74 Overall to Kansas City!

The Kansas City Chiefs drafted Notre Dame defensive back KeiVarae Russell with the #74 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. 

Congratulations Keivarae!

LINK:  KANSAS CITY STAR STORY

Nick Martin Goes #50 Overall to the NFL Texans

The NFL's Houston Texans are making a run on Notre Dame players in the 2016 NFL Draft...

The latest --- Nick Martin -- the second Center taken in the Draft at #50 overall.  Congrats Nick!

LINK:  NICK MARTIN

Jaylon Goes #34 Overall to Dallas Cowboys!

The wait is over -- for the most deserving player in this year's NFL Draft. 

Time to take your legend to the NFL!

LINK:  JAYLON'S FIRST COWBOYS' INTERVIEW

LINK:  JAYLON'S REACTION TO COWBOYS' CALL

OT: Laremy Tunsil's Post-Draft Media Session

A prime time example of the negative impact social media can have -- on an individual and a university...

LINK:  ESPN STORY

2016 NFL Draft: Rookie Contract Amounts

Here's the sliding scale for what NFL teams can pay their draft picks over their first four-year contract -- linked below. 

Here's what Notre Dame student-athletes Ronnie Stanley and Will Fuller will earn from their first NFL contract with the Ravens and Texans respectively:

• Ronnie Stanley -- $20.4 million contract -- $13.1 million guaranteed
• Will Fuller -- $10.2 million contract -- $5.6 million guaranteed

LINK:  NFL ROOKIE CONTRACTS