Notre Dame QB CJ Carr gets first-round NFL Draft praise from analyst

Notre Dame football just missed out on the College Football Playoff in 2025, finishing as the first team out of the field after a 10-2 season. The Irish dropped their first two games of the season against Miami (FL) and Texas A&M, and even running the table with 10 straight wins to close out the regular season wasn’t enough to get into the field.

Now, even after missing out last year, expectations for Notre Dame in 2026 are sky-high. The Irish lost Jeremiyah Love to the NFL, but quarterback CJ Carr will be back after breaking out as a star as a redshirt freshman last season.

As a result, Carr has a lot of NFL Draft buzz surrounding him coming into the 2026 campaign. On Wednesday, Steve Palazzolo of The 33rd Team hinted that Carr is a potential first-round pick whenever he does decide to come out.

Steve Palazzolo is high on Notre Dame QB CJ Carr as an NFL Draft prospect. pic.twitter.com/pQIaAAHn7Q

— Ari Wasserman (@AriWasserman) May 6, 2026

“I just think Carr, being a redshirt freshman last year, I thought he did a really nice job,” Palazzolo said. “He’s got some aggressiveness to him. I think he’s got enough tools. I just think he’s gonna develop and be in this mix in the first round, whenever that is, whether it’s this year or next year.

“We’re in an interesting world where if a guy shows any semblance of good, we say ‘future first-rounder.’ We know it doesn’t always work out. I just think Carr’s gonna continue to develop and he’s still young, and he’s showed a lot.”

Carr completed 66.6% of his passes last season for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns with just six interceptions. While the Irish lost a ton of weaponry on the offensive side of the ball, including Love and Jadarian Price, Carr’s projected improvement should keep this Notre Dame offense near the top of the country.

Marcus Freeman also has stars on the defensive side of the ball like Leonard Moore at cornerback, which makes this Notre Dame team one of the most talented groups in the country. For a team that will be extra motivated coming off of their CFP snub, that is a very scary thought.

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