After being on the outside looking in when the College Football Playoff bracket was announced last December, the Fighting Irish return with a strong roster, and some believe they will play for and potentially win the national title this year. Notre Dame had two players selected in the first round this past April, both running backs. They should have at least that many next year.

Opinions on quarterback CJ Carr are split in the scouting community, as some believe the underclassman is an early first-round pick, while others have stamped him as a third-rounder; I agree with the former. The redshirt sophomore is a patient and heady signal caller who goes through progressions, looks away from covered targets, and does not make poor choices throwing the ball.

He’s a terrific deep passer who challenges the vertical game, finds his target downfield, and quickly delivers the ball into their hands. Leaving the pocket only when necessary, Carr also beats opponents with his legs running the ball.

While I’d like to see Carr do a better job finding opponents in the secondary, there is no denying he possesses the physical skills, intangibles, and upside to lead a team on Sundays.

There is no division of opinion on the ranking of cornerback Leonard Moore in the scouting community, as he’s universally graded as a top-half-of-Round-1 prospect, and it’s easy to see why. Moore possesses the desired size for an NFL cornerback, measuring 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, while possessing great ball skills.

He uses his large frame as an advantage, does a sensational job making plays with his back to the ball, and makes opposing quarterbacks look away from him. Moore is also a physical corner who battles receivers or voluntarily defends the run or screen passes. He also comes with terrific instincts and plays with great awareness.

Moore will be the first cornerback selected in next April’s draft, assuming he enters the event, and presently projects as a top-10 selection.

The Irish have a lot of additional top talent in the secondary, as Tae Johnson is another highly rated underclassmen in the defensive backfield. The sophomore safety possesses great instincts and plays heads-up football while displaying great athleticism in his game. He’s fast, covers a lot of area in center field, and has a great burst to the action.

Johnson shows a lot of ability in zone coverage, reads the quarterback’s eyes, then makes his move to the throw and is a strong open-field tackler. He comes with a large upside and could easily become a first-round prospect with a good season.

Notre Dame is deep at linebacker with four off-ball prospects on the draft board, yet it’s underclassman Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa who really stands out to me. He’s athletic, explosive, and very physical. Viliamu-Asa displays speed in pursuit and force upfield on the blitz and also gets depth on pass drops. He’s a heady player with terrific instincts who should quickly break into a starting lineup on Sundays.