Notre Dame football’s 2027 NFL Draft prospect outlook: CJ Carr, Leonard Moore and more

The Notre Dame football program comes into the 2026 season with a lot of expectations, a lot of talent, but some clear question marks. How the team—starting with quarterback CJ Carr—answers those questions will dictate how the Fighting Irish do this season and where the Notre Dame prospects go in the 2027 NFL Draft. So, before the campaign begins, let’s look at the top draft prospects on this year’s roster.

QB CJ Carr

The 2027 NFL Draft may be absolutely loaded at the quarterback position. Arch Manning, Dante Moore, and Julian Sayin are the headline names, but Drew Mestemaker, Darien Mensah, and Notre Dame’s own CJ Carr are not far behind. Carr has a chance to put his name in contention for a top-five pick with a strong 2026 campaign. He has the tools to be an excellent pro QB, although there are limitations that may keep him out of that upper, upper echelon.

Carr is mostly a traditional pocket passer, which is valued less than ever these days in the modern NFL. He isn’t a scrambler, and even if he was, his slight frame—even at 6-foot-3—would be a concern. He has the arms, the poise, and the confidence to succeed in the pros for sure. However, he’ll probably need a Joe Burrow-like season to move to the top of the draft, and with his wideouts, that isn’t likely.

CB Leonard Moore

While most of the Notre Dame NFL draft prospects talk will surround Carr, the best prospect on this football team is cornerback Leonard Moore. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound corner is one of the best defensive players in this class, and if he adds to his 18 passes defended and seven interceptions in his first two seasons, he will likely hear his name called in the top 10.

Moore may not be the first defensive player off the board, as there are a few elite pass rushers in this class, but whoever drafts the Fighting Irish star will get a potential lockdown man corner for years to come.

LB Kyngstonn Villiamu-Asa

Kyngstonn Villiamu-Asa has two things working against him. First is that he is an off-ball linebacker, which isn’t all that valued in the NFL right now, and he’s coming off a season-ending knee injury in 2025. Outside of that, Villiamu-Asa is everything the league wants right now in a three-down linebacker.

Health is the biggest issue here. If the LB can stay healthy the entire season and return to the production he’s put up in the past, there is no reason he won’t go toward the back end of the first round.

S Tae Johnson

This redshirt sophomore is still young and developing, and at his age, there is a chance he goes back to South Bend for the 2027 season. However, if Tae Johnson has another impressive, ballhawking season where he improves on his four interceptions from last year, he could work his way into Round 1.

There isn’t really a singular formula for Johnson to work his way into the first round other than making his natural progression. He has the size, speed, versatility, and production that NFL teams look for in a starting safety. If he ups that production and continues to make splash plays, he could become the first or send safety picked in 2027.

EDGE Boubacar Traore

Boubacar Traore went from 1.0 sacks to 5.0 to 10.0 in his three years with the Fighting Irish. If he puts up double-digit sacks again, that production will be hard to argue with. The only thing keeping him away from being a surefire first-rounder is his size. He is 6-foot-4 and under 250 pounds. That makes him explosive, but will that body type hold up in the NFL?

As long as the production continues, there is no reason Traore won’t go in Round 2, and probably early in that round. If the production explodes somehow or the EDGE adds beef to his frame, Round 1 is a real possibility.

OG Sullivan Absher

There is a clear gap between Traore and the rest of these Notre Dame draft prospects. While the undersized EDGE is a Round 2 lock, the rest of this list will be fighting to get into Day 2, and without a great season on tape, may fall to Day 3.

The most intriguing of this bunch is 6-foot-8, 328-pound guard Sullivan Absher, who only has five collegiate starts but can play both guard spots and maybe even tackle, making him a valuable NFL commodity. If he excels this season as a full-time starter, pro scouting departments will fall in love with his size on the interior of the line.

OL Charles Jagusah

Notre Dame also has 6-foot-7, 333-pound Charles Jagusah on the line, if he can come back from injury. The big O-lineman missed all of 2025 after a UTV accident shattered his arm and required five surgeries. And there is still a question whether he will even play this season, but Marcus Freeman is optimistic.

Jagusah can play either tackle or guard spot, and if he shows the injury is not debilitating long-term, he will be an intriguing NFL prospect because of his size, skill, and athleticism.

OT Anthonie Knapp

Anthonie Knapp is the Fighting Irish’s starting left tackle, but he is a guard-only NFL draft prospect. At 6-foot-4, 296 pounds, and with short arms, there is no way he can play tackle in the pros. And Notre Dame fans will tell you there are questions about whether he can play LT in college. As a guard, though, he’ll be worth a mid-round pick.

C Joe Otting

Notre Dame’s 2026 starting center, Joe Otting, has everything you want in a lineman. Good size at 6-foot-4, 312 pounds, a four-star pedigree, and a strong showing as a backup last year. This season, if he excels as a starter, his draft stock could climb rapidly.

WR Jordan Faison

Jordan Faison is a solid underneath slot receiver who has the smarts and short-of-the-line-of-scrimmage quickness to succeed in the NFL. He was also a star on the Notre Dame lacrosse team, so he knows how to compete and win on the highest levels in multiple sports. Faison may not wow with his numbers, but he will become a solid pass-catcher in the league.

WR Jordan Greathouse

Notre Dame wideout Jordan Greathouse has decent size (6-foot-1, 212 pounds), but his lack of speed and injury concerns hurt his stock. He is a gamer, though, and will make big catches when his team needs him most. That’s not something scouts liek to bank on, but if a team drafts him on Day 3, don’t be surprised if he continues to outperform his measurables.

LB Drayk Brown

Drayk Brown is the type of tough, tenacious team captain who should carve out a nice, long NFL career as a rotational linebacker and core special teams player. He’s also the type who may just surprise some scouts and ultimately become a starter despite being a solid Day 3 selection.

S Adon Shuler

Adon Shuler needs to improve his tackling, but the team captain is a versatile safety who is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades, master of none. Still, that means his skill set will make him a valuable piece to an NFL defensive back rotation and guarantee him at least a Day 3 draft pick.

DT Francis Brewu

At 6-foot-2, 280 pounds, Francis Brewu is a bit of a tweener as far as the NFL is concerned. However, as more teams start going to hybrid 3-4 defenses and inside/outside versatility becomes more coveted, teams may look at Brewu, who is still young, and see a developmental lineman with some upside who can be a chess piece in the pros.

CB Christian Gray

Christian Gray has the size and speed to be an NFL boundary corner, but he needs to clean up the grabbing and penalties. If he does that, his athleticism and production could propel him into Day 2.

CB DJ McKinney

DJ McKinney’s 6-foot-2 frame and track speed will get some team to take him in the 2027 NFL Draft. He needs to show more smarts and polish, though, if he’s going to go any higher than the sixth or seventh round.

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