NOTRE DAME. Ind. — With six players selected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Notre Dame Football has totaled 511 draft picks over the tenure of the program. No other college football program has totaled more than the Irish.
Day Three of the 2020 NFL Draft saw Troy Pride Jr. selected by his home region Carolina Panthers with the 113th overall pick, Khalid Kareem drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals 147th overall and Alohi Gilman picked for the Los Angeles Chargers 186th overall.
They became the fourth, fifth and sixth Notre Dame players drafted over the weekend, following Cole Kmet (Chicago Bears), Chase Claypool (Pittsburgh Steelers) and Julian Okwara (Detroit Lions).
For a full recap of Day Two of the 2020 NFL Draft, click here.
Pride Jr., Kareem and Gilman contributed to a defense that posted the most fumble recoveries and second-most takeaways in the FBS in 2019. In addition, Notre Dame has held 25 of 26 opponents over the past three seasons to 30 points or less. That includes ranked opponents LSU, Michigan, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Clemson, Georgia, Virginia and Navy.
Troy Pride Jr.
With the seventh pick of the fourth round (113th overall), the Carolina Panthers selected cornerback Troy Pride Jr.
Playing in 45 games, the Greer, S.C. native snagged four interceptions over his career, in addition to 121 tackles (88 solo), one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. As a senior, he made 40 tackles with an interception and six pass break-ups.
A four-year starter for the Irish, he was just one of four true freshmen to start for Notre Dame on defense in 2016.
The defensive back was also a member of the Notre Dame track team, competing at the ACC Championships in multiple events. In 2017, Pride Jr. earned All-ACC Second-Team accolades in the 60-meter dash (6.73), and in 2016, he claimed the same honor in the 100-meter dash (10.47).
Pride becomes the first Irish DB drafted since Julian Love in 2019, and the first Notre Dame selection by the Panthers since quarterback Jimmy Clausen in 2010.
Khalid Kareem
To kick off with the first pick of the fifth round, the Cincinnati Bengals selected Khalid Kareem 147th overall.
The reigning Notre Dame Defensive Player of the Year, Kareem served as a team captain during the 2019 season, and finished the year as the top-rated player on defense according to Pro Football Focus, earning a season grade of 85.1 with a pass-rush grade of 86.6. Entering his senior year, he earned spots on the watch lists for the Badnarik, Nagurski and Hendricks Awards.
Over his career, Kareem played in 43 games and posted 109 tackles (56 solo). The Detroit native totaled 13 sacks (5.5 during his final season with the Irish), forced four fumbles and recovered two.
While Kareem will be the sole Domer on the current Bengals roster, tight end Tyler Eifert made a significant mark on the franchise as the last Notre Dame player to be drafted to Cincinnati in 2013.
Alohi Gilman
Continuing the trend of recent Irish players finding an NFL home in Los Angeles, safety Alohi Gilman was selected with the seventh pick of the sixth round (186th overall) by the Los Angeles Chargers. Gilman will join Isaac Rochell, Jerry Tillery and Drue Tranquill with the Bolts.
Chosen as a captain for the 2019 season, Gilman served as a staple in the Irish secondary. The Hawaiian began his collegiate career at the United States Naval Academy before transferring after the 2016 season.
Over his career, Gilman totaled 245 tackles (141 solo) over three seasons, including the initial season at Navy, and three interceptions. In 2020, he started all 13 games, finishing fourth on the team with 74 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, one sack, one interception, two break-ups, a QB hurry, one fumble recovery and three forced fumbles. Gilman posted the first sack of his career in 2019 vs. Boston College.
In his junior season, Gilman made headlines with big-time performances, including a two-interception and eight-tackle game vs. Syracuse that earned him Walter Camp National Defensive Player of the Week. In the College Football Playoff vs. Clemson, Gilman set a program bowl record for most tackles in a game with a whopping 19.
Gilman was a three-sport athlete (basketball, football and track & field) in high school, lettering three times in football (at three different schools).