Blue & Gold Illustrated: 2012 Notre Dame Football Preview
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BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ✦ 145 IRISH IN THE NFL Name (Years At Notre Dame) NFL Season Pos. Current Team George Atkinson (2011-13) 4th RB Cleveland Browns Contributed on special teams in all 16 games in 2016, and also rushed for 34 yards and a touchdown. Robert Blanton (2008-11) 6th DB Dallas Cowboys Made 35 tackles while seeing action in 10 games (two starts) with the Bills last year. Chris Brown (2012-15) 2nd WR Cincinnati Bengals Spent 2016 on the Cowboys' injured reserve, before being claimed off waivers by the Bengals in March. Sheldon Day (2012-15) 2nd DL Jacksonville Jaguars Recorded eight tackles and one sack in 16 games as a rookie last season. Tyler Eifert (2009-12) 5th TE Cincinnati Bengals Hauled in 29 receptions for 394 yards and five scores in eight games last year. Matthias Farley (2011-15) 2nd DB Indianapolis Colts Notched 11 tackles over 16 contests with the Colts in 2016. Anthony Fasano (2002-05) 12th TE Miami Dolphins Caught eight passes for 83 yards and two touchdowns for the Titans last year. Michael Floyd (2008-11) 6th WR Minnesota Vikings Signed with the Vikings after posting 37 catches for 488 yards and five TDs while spend - ing time with the Cardinals and Super Bowl champion Patriots in 2016. Will Fuller (2013-15) 2nd WR Houston Texans Had 47 catches for 635 yards and two scores, and also returned a punt for a TD in 2016. J.J. Jansen (2004-07) 10th LS Carolina Panthers Played in all 16 games for the eighth consecutive season. Jarron Jones (2012-16) 1st DT New York Giants Signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent. TJ Jones (2010-13) 4th WR Detroit Lions Played in only three games a year ago and contributed five receptions for 93 yards. DeShone Kizer (2014-16) 1st QB Cleveland Browns Selected in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. Ben Koyack (2011-14) 3rd TE Jacksonville Jaguars Played in 14 contests in 2016, and tallied 19 catches for 161 yards and one score. Kapron Lewis-Moore (2008-12) 5th DE Chicago Bears Inked with the Bears after spending all of last season on the Ravens' practice squad. Cole Luke (2013-16) 1st CB Carolina Panthers Signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent. Nick Martin (2011-15) 2nd OL Houston Texans Spent the 2016 season on injured reserve due to an ankle injury that required surgery. Zack Martin (2009-13) 4th OL Dallas Cowboys Started all 16 games at right guard and made the Pro Bowl for the third straight year. Troy Niklas (2011-13) 4th TE Arizona Cardinals Limited to two games and one reception for no yards last year because of a wrist injury. Name (Years At Notre Dame) NFL Season Pos. Current Team Romeo Okwara (2012-15) 2nd DE New York Giants Posted 25 stops and one sack while playing in 16 games as a rookie. James Onwualu (2013-16) 1st LB Los Angeles Chargers Signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent. C.J. Prosise (2012-15) 2nd RB Seattle Seahawks Compiled 380 total yards and one TD while seeing action in six games as a rookie. Theo Riddick (2009-12) 5th RB Detroit Lions In 10 games, rushed for 357 yards and one TD, plus had 53 catches for 371 yards and five scores. Cody Riggs (2014) 3rd CB Tampa Bay Buccaneers Signed with the Bucs after playing only three games with the Titans in 2016. Trevor Robinson (2008-11) 6th OG Atlanta Falcons Joined the NFC champion Falcons in November 2016, but did not see any game action. Isaac Rochell (2013-16) 1st DT Los Angeles Chargers Selected in the seventh round (No. 225 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. Kyle Rudolph (2008-10) 7th TE Minnesota Vikings Amassed a career-best 83 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns last year. KeiVarae Russell (2012-15) 2nd CB Cincinnati Bengals Saw action in five contests, made one tackle and intercepted one pass after joining the Bengals last season. Harrison Smith (2007-11) 6th S Minnesota Vikings Registered 91 stops and two sacks while starting all 14 games he played in. Jaylon Smith (2013-15) 2nd LB Dallas Cowboys Did not play last season while recovering from a devastating knee injury. Ronnie Stanley (2012-15) 2nd OT Baltimore Ravens Started at left tackle in all 12 games he played in as a rookie. John Sullivan (2003-07) 10th C Los Angeles Rams Signed by the Rams after seeing action in 13 games with the Redskins last year. Golden Tate (2007-09) 8th WR Detroit Lions Hauled in 91 catches for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns over 16 games in 2016. Manti Te'o (2009-12) 5th LB New Orleans Saints Signed with the Saints after an Achilles injury sidelined him for the final 14 weeks of the 2016 campaign. Stephon Tuitt (2011-13) 4th DE Pittsburgh Steelers Notched 37 tackles, four sacks and two forced fumbles in 14 games last season. Chris Watt (2009-13) 4th OL New Orleans Saints Played in 17 games with the Chargers his first two years, but missed all of 2016 due to injury. Ishaq Williams (2011-14) 2nd DE New York Giants Spent most of 2016 on the Giants' practice squad and was placed on IR in May. Sam Young (2006-09) 8th OT Miami Dolphins Saw action in eight contests and made one start for the Dolphins last year. Irish Players On NFL Rosters As of June 20 1. Will Fuller makes dazzling debut Trailing by a touchdown late in the fourth quarter, the Houston Texans' rookie receiver went back deep to return a Tennessee punt. Fuller, who ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, took the punt and made a couple defenders miss before easily outrunning the rest of the defense for a touchdown. The 67-yard return was so easy in fact that Fuller slowed down as he approached the end zone and trotted the rest of the way. It was Houston's first punt return for a touchdown since 2013. He became the first player in franchise history to have a touchdown catch and a punt return for a score in the same game. 2. Zack Martin paves way for last-minute win over Pittsburgh There was no better illustration of the Dallas Cowboys' dominant run game than a 32-yard touchdown run by rookie Ezekiel Elliott with 14 seconds left against the Pittsburgh Steelers Nov. 13. All-Pro right guard Zack Martin led the way for the touchdown, which gave Dallas a 35-30 victory. Elliott was untouched on the run, a credit to the stellar blocking done by Martin and his linemates. 3. Romeo Okwara plays big on Sunday night The New York Giants' undrafted rookie beat Dallas right tackle Joe Looney midway through the third quarter for his first career sack, bringing down quarterback Dak Prescott. Okwara finished the season with one sack, but his eight-tackle outing against the Cowboys proved he belongs at the NFL level. 4. C.J. Prosise comes up big against New England The third-round pick showed up big in a week 10 matchup for the Seattle Se - ahawks, filling in for the injured Thomas Rawls. Prosise, a versatile running back, had 153 yards from scrimmage, third among all running backs in week 10. After missing time in training camp with a hamstring injury and sitting out four games with a hand injury, he came out of nowhere to help the Seahawks pull a 31-24 upset in Foxboro. His outing was highlighted by a clutch 38-yard catch on third down. 5. Michael Floyd wins Super Bowl with New England Patriots Though he did not suit up on game day, former Irish star receiver Michael Floyd did win a Super Bowl ring when New England defeated Atlanta. Released by the Arizona Cardinals after a December DUI, Floyd joined the Patriots and played a minor role. He caught four passes in two regular-season games for New England, tallying 42 yards and a touchdown. He also appeared in the divisional round game against Houston, catching one pass for nine yards. Floyd did not make the dress roster for the AFC championship game or Super Bowl. TOP FIVE MEMORABLE MOMENTS