Can you win the draft by not being in the draft? If you can, then the winners were Notre Dame’s star defensive ends who spurned their NFL futures for one more season and returned to the Irish defense.
Soon to be seniors Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem both enjoyed breakout seasons last year, with Okwara tying for the team lead in sacks with 8 and notching an astounding 21 quarterback hurries. Kareem finished the year with 4.5 sacks, eight hurries, while dealing with various foot and ankle injuries throughout the year.
Either player could have justifiably left for the NFL after their junior seasons, and likely would have gone in the first three rounds.