Insider notes on Marcus Freeman's Notre Dame: Draft grades for top prospects ft. Jeremiyah Love, Malachi Fields, and more

After a disastrous home loss in South Bend to lowly Northern Illinois, the Fighting Irish pulled it together and made a run through the College Football Playoff that few expected. They ended up having six players selected in the draft in April, with two of them ending up on the second day. The numbers look better for Notre Dame next year in terms of quantity and quality.

Jeremiyah Love was a dominant force for the Irish offense early in the College Football Playoff, yet an injury relegated him to a decoy down the stretch. He’s a nice-sized back with explosive speed and the ability to take it the distance, as witnessed in the opening round of the playoff against Indiana.

He displays excellent vision, picks up yardage off initial contact and falls forward when tackled. Love is also a terrific blocker. He was more of a big-play situational runner last season than a feature back, carrying the ball more than a dozen times in just five games, the highest being the 16 he totaled against Virginia. Love should get significantly more carries this season with the Notre Dame quarterback situation in flux.

The Irish have a long history of putting quality defensive backs into the early part of the draft, and Christian Gray will be the next one. Gray is a nice-sized cornerback with terrific ball skills and an improving game. He battles receivers throughout the route and works to get his head back around and track the pass. He’s fluid pedaling in reverse, smooth flipping his hips, and nicely times pass defenses.

Whoever turns out to be the starting quarterback at Notre Dame will have two quality receivers with contrasting styles at their disposal.

Virginia transfer Malachi Fields is a big-bodied possession wideout with reliable hands. He consistently out-muscles opponents and wins out for the contested grab. Yet Fields comes up shy in the quickness and speed department. That’s not a problem for Wisconsin transfer Will Pauling, who shows a burst and the ability to beat opponents in a footrace. He’s also reliable at catching the football. Pauling missed time with a variety of injuries last season after a brilliant 2023 campaign and must prove he’s durable this year.

Billy Schrauth is a powerful small-area blocker who turns bigger defenders from the line and controls them at the point. He doesn’t show much ability blocking in motion, yet he has the frame to get bigger.

Notre Dame Prospects
Grade	Rnd	Pos	Full Name	Yr	#
3.99	1-2	RB	Jeremiyah Love	3Jr	4
3.82	2nd	CB	Christian Gray	3Jr	29
3.45	5th	WR	Malachi Fields	5Sr	0
3.39	5-6	WR	Will Pauling	5Sr	6
3.37	6th	G	Billy Schrauth	4Jr	74
3.37	6th	DE	Niuafe Tuihalamaka	4Jr	44
3.36	6th	S	Jalen Stroman	5Sr	7
3.32	6th	T	Aamil Wagner	5Sr	59
3.28	7th	ILB	Drayk Bowen	3Jr	34
3.18	FA	CB	DeVonta Smith	5Sr	0
3.03	FA	DT	Jared Dawson	5Sr	93
2.98	FA	DT	Gabriel Rubio	5Sr	97
2.98	FA	DE	Jordan Botelho	6Sr	12