Notre Dame football rumors: Why CJ Carr is popular pick to ‘shoot high in Round 1’ of NFL Draft

The Notre Dame football program was well represented during the 2026 NFL Draft. Notre Dame became the first college to produce the top two running backs from a draft class in the common draft era. Now one Fighting Irish player is receiving a lot of early hype before next year’s anticipated draft class.

ESPN’s Jordan Reid highlighted the top quarterback prospects who NFL fans should watch during the 2026 college football season. He pointed to CJ Carr as one of the top names in the nation to know.

“He has an easy throwing motion that generates beautiful spirals. When he’s on schedule, his eyes match his feet and he plays the game with a quiet lower half,” Reid wrote. “Though he’s an average athlete, Carr can buy time with his quickness and isn’t afraid to gain yards on the ground when they’re available.”

Reid even suggested that Carr could become a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft if he plays well enough this fall.

“Multiple scouts indicate Carr is the most popular choice as the signal-caller who could shoot high in Round 1,” Reid added. “Notre Dame lost a lot of top skill players last season, so if Carr can shoulder the load and play well, his stock will rise.”

This is not the first time Carr has received first-round hype. In fact. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler labeled Carr as a “sneaky riser” in a recent article.

But Carr is far from a perfect prospect. Reid warned that Carr needs to limit forced plays if he wants to transition into the NFL. He won’t be able to endlessly scramble around waiting for a receiver to get open as a pro.

Regardless, Reid is bought in on Carr going in the first round. In fact, he had Carr going fourth overall to the Browns in a recent mock draft.

It will be exciting to see if Carr can live up to these huge expectations during the 2026 season.

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