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Newsstand: Notre Dame lands two first-round picks in ESPN's latest mock draft

Kyle Kellyby: Kyle Kelly02/02/26ByKyleKelly

If the NFL Draft were Monday, Notre Dame would have two first-round picks, according to ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller.

In Miller’s latest mock draft, he projected former Irish running back Jeremiyah Love to go No. 8 overall to the New Orleans Saints. At No. 32 overall, he had wide receiver Malachi Fields landing with the Seattle Seahawks.

Love’s placement in Miller’s mock draft comes as little surprise. The reigning Doak Walker Award winner and Heisman Trophy finalist is widely regarded as one of the top overall players in this year’s draft. Where Miller slotted Fields, however, is a notable development.

Entering the offseason, Fields was largely viewed as a Day 3 NFL Draft prospect with the potential to sneak into late Day 2. His emergence at the end of the first round follows an outstanding performance at last week’s Senior Bowl.

“One of the biggest winners at the Senior Bowl, Fields parlayed a great week on top of a really strong career at Notre Dame to get into Round 1,” Miller said in his projection. “Fields dominated defensive backs in Mobile with his size (6-foot-4, 218 pounds) and ability to win over the top.”

If Fields were to hear his name called in the first round, it would represent a significant nod to Notre Dame’s resurgent wide receiver development. The Irish have not had a wide receiver drafted since Ben Skowronek was selected in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Rams in 2021. Will Fuller was Notre Dame’s most recent first-round wideout, going No. 21 overall to the Houston Texans in 2016.

Notre Dame also has not produced a first-round running back since Jerome Bettis went No. 10 overall to the St. Louis Rams in 1993. Love appears poised to end that drought in April.

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