Newsstand: Where ESPN ranks former Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman among 2024 NFL Draft QBs
The NFL Draft will begin later this month, which means several former Notre Dame football players could learn where they will continue their football careers. One former Fighting Irish standout hopes to land in one team’s quarterback room.
On Sunday, NFL draft analyst Jordan Reid ranked the top 13 passers in this year’s cycle. Reid slotted former Notre Dame signal-caller No. 10. He projects Sam Hartman to end up as a late Day 3 draft choice or sign on with a team as an undrafted free agent.
“Getting the ball out quickly hasn’t been a problem for Hartman, as he’s a quick decision-maker,” said Reid, touching on where Hartman excels. “But he has also been accurate on deep throws, even though he has arm strength limitations. Hartman had 11 touchdowns to one interception and an 88.5 QBR on throws 20-plus yards downfield this past season.
“Part of the reason that Hartman transferred to Notre Dame was to gain experience in a pro-style system, and he looked comfortable operating from both shotgun and under center at the Senior Bowl. His accuracy in the short-to-intermediate areas was consistent all week in Mobile, Alabama.”
In Hartman’s one season with the Irish, he was 9-3 as a starter. He completed a career-high 63.5% of passes (191-301) for 2,689 yards, 24 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. Reid said he would like to see Hartman perform better under pressure. He said his ball velocity is also a concern.
“While he has had plenty of success in the pocket, pressure has rushed him into making premature decisions,” Reid said. “When under pressure last season, Hartman completed only 45.5% of his throws, which ranked 71st in the FBS. He doesn’t have the playmaking ability to create extra opportunities outside of the normal structure of plays with any consistency.
“Hartman also struggled a little pushing the ball down the field at the Senior Bowl. That came back up at the combine; while he was accurate and in rhythm, he was a step behind other QBs in ball velocity. Hartman will need to be in a system that’s predicated on rhythm and timing underneath, which matches his strengths as a passer.”
Reid has former USC quarterback Caleb Williams as his top-ranked quarterback. The rest of his list can be found here.
Notre Dame Posts of the Weekend
Irish men’s lacrosse goalkeeper Liam Entenmann had an incredible save that earned him the No. 1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays. ND went on to beat Syracuse 14-12 on Saturday.
The ND Alumni X (Twitter) page celebrated Easter Sunday with a great photo.
The Irish football X (Twitter) page spotlighted sophomore cornerback Christian Gray.
Notre Dame Quote of the Weekend
“It was a Notre Dame-Ohio State battle for a long time, going back and forth with them. And then Alabama came on late in January when Coach [Colin] Hitschler got the job. So, it was about where I wanted to be and where I’ve built the best relationships. That’s what it came down to.”
— 2025 four-star linebacker Anthony Sacca from Philadelphia St. Joseph’s on his decision to verbally commit to the Notre Dame football program on Saturday.
Notre Dame Headlines of the Weekend
- Four-star LB Anthony Sacca commits to ND football
- Five thoughts on four-star LB Anthony Sacca’s ND football commitment
- What the experts are saying about new ND commit Anthony Sacca
- Everything Scott Rueck said after Oregon State win over ND in Sweet 16
- Everything Niele Ivey said after ND Sweet 16 loss to Oregon State
- Why ND is a Top 3 school for four-star EDGE Darren Ikinnagbon following first visit
