Irish Get Shut Out on First Day of Draft
Frank Vitovitch
April 16, 2000

New York - The first day of the annual NFL Draft usually orused to mean at least a couple of Domers would be trading in their gold helmets for thehelmet of a National Football League team.  This year however, for the first time sincethe 1981 Draft, no Notre Dame graduates were selected on the first day of the draft.

In recent years the Irish were not greatly represented, butthey had had someone picked on the first day, the day in which the first three rounds aredrafted, every year since 1981.  Recently Reynaldo Wynn went in the first round inthe 1997 draft, Allen Rossum went in the 3rd round of the 1998 Draft, and last year LukePetigout was drafted in the first round.

Notre Dame has several players who may get drafted onSunday when rounds 4-7 are drafted, but there is a chance that no Domers could getdrafted.  Of the players eligible from Notre Dame, Jarious Jackson, JohnMerandi, Deke Cooper, and Bobby Brown have a decent chance at being late round selections.

Jarious might not be drafted by a team that wants to usehim at quarterback right away.  He is a versatile athlete who could get drafted forhis athletic ability alone.  With a good coach and quarterback coach he can developinto a NFL quarterback if given the chance.  He has the physical tools to be acapable pro quarterback - strong arm, good mobility, tackle-breaking running skills, anddecent height for a quarterback.  He will probably get drafted by a team that has alot of depth and can afford to take a risk on a player.  That would be the bestscenario for Jarious since on a deep team he could be given a lot of time to develop.

Bobby Brown may get drafted because he is a nice sizedtarget at 6-2 and 195.  His 40 time could really hurt him since he was clocked atonly 4.7 recently.  He did run on the 400 meter indoor track team though while atNotre Dame so his speed must be more than just decent.  He, like Jarious, may getdrafted by a team with depth who can take a chance on a player.  A team looking forsomeone to come in right away and play will most likely not selected Brown.

John Merandi was a more than average center while at NotreDame.  He went up against some of the best defensive linemen in the country the pasttwo seasons and was never dominated by any one player.  He never long snapped thoughwhich could hurt him.  There are also questions on his football, but that issomething that can be taught.  Notre Dame's offensive line coaching has been all downhill since Joe Moore left and NFL teams may realize this.  Merandi could be a late6th or 7th rounder if he gets drafted.

Deke Cooper was listed by many as Notre Dame best prospectin this year's draft.  Like Brown, his 40 time of 4.7 does not help his chances atall.  He is a great hitter however and could play on the next level.  There isthe possibility of adding weight to Deke and trying him at linebacker, but safety is hisnormal natural position.  He could be a project pick for a defensive minded team whosees he has some potential.

Of all the possible Irish draftees, none of them will gotill late 6th round into the 7th round.  Other possibilities include Lamont Bryant,Raki Nelson, Joey Goodspeed, Brad Williams, Deveron Harper, and Ajani Sanders.  Bryant is in the same boat as Cooper in that he may get drafted as a project sincehe may be too big for linebacker and too small for defensive end at the pro level.  Goodspeed might get picked since the fullback pool is relatively shallow this year.  Nelson is one player that should get draft from Notre Dame, but most likely won'tbecause of his height.

Check back on Monday for some more news on the Draftregarding Notre Dame players once all the picks are in.  Also look for some newarticles on the 2000 season for early this week.